Hundreds of clowns gathered at Mexico City’s Monument to the Revolution on Wednesday to celebrate the 24th annual International Conference of Laughter.

The nearly 450 professional jesters hailing from Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Peru, the United States and other countries used the conference to speak out against violence, as well as to exchange ideas to use in their acts back home.

Organized by the Brotherhood of Latin Clowns, the four-day event hosts seminars and workshops in which professional clowns can hone their craft and stay up to date on the latest costumes, makeup, oversized shoes, wigs and magic tricks.

As they danced and cracked jokes for curious spectators, the clowns hoped their actions here and at home would compel people to smile and laugh more, rather than resort to anger and violence.

Mexico has a rich clown culture and the profession is popular among street performers. The Latin American Clown Association reports that there are around 10,000 registered professional clowns in the country.

As further testament to the popularity of clowning around in Mexico, the U.S.-based organization Clowns Without Borders (CWB), which works to bring laughter to people in areas of crisis, has more projects in Mexico than any other country in the world.

In March 2019, CWB held a five-day event in Tijuana, hosting workshops and performing for migrants stranded there. The organization primarily works with indigenous communities in Chiapas.

Sources: Telediario (sp), News First (sp)