The second Banjo Picker's Convention held at Te Rapa, just out of Hamilton, New Zealand at Easter 1968, had a large circus tent for the main venue. I heard it was the largest circus tent in the southern hemisphere, at the time, though there are bigger tents used nowadays.
The weather had been bad (it was the week the interisland ferry, Wahine had sunk in Wellington Harbour) and was still very windy.
The big tent had been erected for a Friday start and was used for concerts and a 'barn dance' throughout the weekend.
On Sunday afternoon there was a family concert, aimed at the large number of children there and by then the tent had become very floppy, the sides blowing in and out with the wind.
At half time the side doors/flaps were opened just as a wind gust blew straight in. The tent billowed up, like a huge balloon! I was sitting at the back, near the tent wall which had been securely anchored to the ground and a group of us just skedaddled underneath as it lifted in the air.
One of the longest metal poles bent over and a couple of the wooden poles snapped. There was a long tear where the roof canvas had ripped and the whole thing was ruined, I believe.
Several other smaller tents were pushed over as well.
Luckily, nobody was injured and an enclosed venue in town was made available at short notice, so the final concert was able to go ahead.
But I still feel nervous in large tents if the wind is blowing, especially if the sides or roof are moving in and out, even if they are made of a stronger plastic/nylon material and not just canvas.
Robyn