As part of Wellcome Policy Lab’s innovation pilots, the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre explored how to enrich policy dialogues through two innovative approaches: humour and acrobatics. From July to December 2023, we experimented with helping people think and feel differently through serious fun, working with creative partners (professional cartoonists and circus artists). Throughout this project, we trialled these methods in policy-relevant events, focusing on climate change and mental health.