side show

Noun

sideshow (plural sideshows)

1. A minor attraction at a larger event such as a circus, fair or music festival.
   • And IT people dismiss IT′s impact because, hey, we like being a sideshow to the real action.1999 November 8, Frank Hayes, The Back Page: The main event, Computerworld, page 86
2. (figuratively) An incidental spectacle that diverts attention from a larger concern.
   • Far from learning from the failures of ‘economic rationalism,’ the Liberals want us to swallow more of the snake oil medicine while diverting our attention to the consumption tax sideshow.1997, Frank Stilwell, “One Nation For Whom?”, in Michael Costa, Mark Hearn, editors, Reforming Australia's Unions: Insights from Southland Magazine, page 244
3. (US, slang) An incident in which drivers block traffic to perform stunts like donuts and burnouts for an extended period of time.
   • The spontaneous street party is the center of Oakland's recently developing Hyphy culture, but has a long history in Oakland car culture and hip hop. A sideshow is essentially a spontaneous street party in which one might “ghostride the whip” (get out while driving), “gas brake dip,” or even...2009, Mickey Hess, editor, Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide, volume 1, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 274