Definitions for "Chautauqua"
a meeting, usually held in the summer outdoors or under a temporary tent, providing public lectures combined with entertainment such as concerts and plays. It originated in the village of Chautauqua, N. Y., in 1874, and was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Also, a meeting similar to this.
a festival-like gathering of people to socialize and to be entertained by traveling musicians, actors, lecturers, evangelists, politicians and circuses
A system of adult educational meetings conducted in villages during the late 19th century in United States.