Laughing mad at meeting of world's top clowns

From the young to the old, clowns from all over the world shared laughs when they congregated at the World Clown Association annual convention in Illinois on March 26.

Colourfully dressed and heavily made-up, the entertainers took part in seminars, performances, and competitions to exchange antics that were guaranteed to tickle the funny bone.

It's probably the only convention in the world where it's okay when things get clownish.