International Line-Up Unveiled as Circus City Tickets Go on Sale

Bookings are now open for the international live performances combining circus skills, music, theatre, dance and spoken word being presented in Bristol from October 9 – 30 during Circus City - the UK’s leading festival of contemporary circus.

Acts taking part in the biennial festival’s 2025 edition include performers from Sweden, Belgium, France, Spain, Lithuania, Germany, and the USA alongside a host of UK and Bristol artists. The full line-up can be viewed at www.bristolcircuscity.com and includes:

• Armour (October 9 and 10, Arnolfini – from Belgium, the UK premiere of a show inspired by wrestling matches and gladiator battles and using dance, balance and hand-to-hand acrobatics to explore issues of masculinity.

• Mentir Lo Minimo (October 18, Malcolm X Centre) – the Spanish acrobatics duo Cie Alto Gama push bodies to the limit with the aid of a push bike.

• Out of the Box (October 27, 1532 Performing Arts Centre at Bristol Grammar School) – winner of the Best Family Show award at this year’s Brighton Festival, a laugh-out-loud, display of visual and physical comedy expertise from Darryl Carrington (UK).

• Rollercoaster (October 29 & 30, Circomedia) – cutting edge tricks performed against a pop punk soundtrack from Wes Peden (USA), widely recognised as one of the world’s best and most inventive jugglers.

Image - Rollercoaster, Fahimeh Hekmatandish

Festival director Nicole A’Court Stuart says: “For 2025, Circus City is taking Bodies of Care as its over-arching theme, inviting audiences to explore circus work that embeds practices of care into the way it is made and performed, and what it says. From hand-to-hand and bike acrobatics, hair hanging and contortion, to clowning, aerial silks, street dance on a giant treadmill, and some of the most complex and ingenious juggling in the world – we’ll look at caring as a strategy for survival, for resistance, for joy and as the basis for brilliant and inclusive circus work.”

Standard tickets start at £18, with generous discounts for students, children, State pensioners and those experiencing financial hardship, with bookings open now at www.bristolcircuscity.com. The website also gives information on how to book a festival pass, granting access to all 12 shows.

To stay up to date with Circus City news, sign-up for free e-newsletters at www.bristolcircuscity.com; find Circus City on Facebook or look for @bristolcircuscity on Instagram.

Circus City is Bristol’s biennial circus festival, made possible by funding from Arts Council England, generous support from Trusts and Foundations, and the vital contributions of individuals, businesses, and partner organisations.