Photos: Why L Train Was Packed With (More) Clowns Friday

L trainers: In case you were wondering why your rush hour subway ride on Friday was filled with more clowns than usual, here's a photographic explanation. Friday, you see, marked the kick-off for the Brick Theater's annual New York Clown Theatre Festival. It is the only festival in New York devoted to clown theatre, and it's also the only theatre festival to begin with a parade, a commute on the L, and a public pie fight near the Lorimer stop. Just another night in Williamsburg.

The festival continues for the next three weekds at The Brick, and boasts a wide range of clown theatre artists from around the world and across the United States. And for those of you who just can't get enough clowns crowding the sidewalks of Williamsburg, it all ends with a "traditional closing day Funeral, with clowns weeping and wailing in the streets." So if there's a young child in your life who needs to be instilled with a lifelong fear of clowns, mark your calendars for September 26th!