Montreal, January 14, 2025 — En Piste offers a glimpse into the circus creations present in Quebec and Canada during the first four months of 2025. Over forty local companies will crisscross the territory and visit 70 cities, from coast to coast. While this overview is certainly incomplete, it is nonetheless comprehensive, demonstrating the vitality of circus arts and their diverse practices.
JANUARY – A flurry of shows to kick off the circus year
The year 2025 began with the conclusion of the holiday shows: HA HA HA by the Belgian company Okidok at TOHU and OVO by Cirque du Soleil at the Bell Centre, both running until January 5. At the very beginning of the month, the Quebec Circus School hosted Turbo 418 with its highly popular annual juggling convention: TurboFest, featuring shows, games, workshops, and juggling exchanges of all kinds.
If you haven’t yet seen the anti-musical Pub Royal by Les 7 Doigts, be at the Grand Théâtre de Québec, from January 8 to 18. Otherwise, you will have to wait for the performances taking place at Amphithéâtre Cogeco in Trois-Rivières, from May 28 to 31.
Until the end of January, several regions are hosting circus productions for youth or families. In Trois-Rivières, on January 19, Oppidum by Les Foutoukours is already sold out. François Isabelle’s clown show Cartoon will play in Granby, on January 25. The next day, Le Gros Orteil presents
The latest creation by DynamO Théâtre, Batailles, will be performed in Joliette, on January 14 and 15, in Beloeil, from March 9 to 12, and in Montreal, from May 14 to 25.
Working at the Returns Department, Les sœurs kif-kif will show children their whimsical merchandise at Place des Arts in Montreal, on January 19. They will conclude the month at
The Quebec company Machine de cirque will create the opening act for the prestigious Festival Mondial du Cirque de demain, which will take place in Paris from January 23 to 26. It should be noted that the hand-to-hand duo Agathe and Adrien, Ess Hödlmoser on aerial straps, and Maxim Laurin and Guillaume Larouche from Machine de Cirque on the rotating Korean plank, all from Canada, are featured in the competition’s program. The television broadcast of the event, accessible to all, is scheduled for January 25 on Arte Concert.
FEBRUARY – Up to the North Shore – Circus illuminates the Quebec winter
From February 12 to 15, the RIDEAU market in Quebec City offers full presentations or excerpts of performing arts creations. Several circus works are part of the official 2025 selection: Jacynthe by Catherine Archambault, Scuse by Frédérique Cournoyer-Lessard, Searching for love by Jerry Tremblay, Les Illusionnistes and their eponymous show, as well as the play Fils manqué, performed by two clowns.
In early February, the acrobats of the Australian company Circa will perform their acrobatic ballet Duck Pond at TOHU, where, at the end of the month, the show Maputo Mozambique by the Thomas Guérineau company will be presented. Also in Montreal, the Maison de la culture de Verdun will present Scuse by Frédérique Cournoyer Lessard, on February 6, the same day that the duo Agathe and Adrien will offer their creation N.Ormes in the Saint-Léonard borough. This remarkable hand-to-hand duo will then be presented between February 20 and March 20 in several Montreal cultural centers. For the whole family, Mr. Gazon will perform À fleur de ville at Théâtre Beaubois, on February 28. On the same day, you are invited to Cabaret Le Cabinez in Montreal for a memorable clown evening.
In Quebec City, Le Diamant will feature Duck Pond by Circa, on February 13, 14, and 15.
Théâtre à Tempo’s Concerto de bruits qui courent will be presented at Maison des arts de Laval from February 2 to 7, in Jonquière on the 16th, and in Cowansville on the 23rd. For youth in a clownish mode, L’Aubergine will perform
Young audiences will enjoy Les Voisines by Le Gros Orteil, on February 2 in Rimouski, on the 16th in Sainte-Thérèse, on February 23, 24, 25 in Drummondville, on March 4 in Trois-Rivières, and on March 5 in Victoriaville. From the same company, Le Bibliothécaire will play in Knowlton, on February 16. Also in Estrie, Théâtre Advienne que pourra will present Paperplane in Victoriaville, also on February 16. FLIP Fabrique arrives in Sherbrooke, on February 12, with Six° and continues its tour with this all-ages show in Saint-Hyacinthe, on February 15, and in L’Assomption, on February 22. On the North Shore, clown Atchoum will entertain the whole family in Baie-Comeau, on February 22, and the next day in Sept-Îles.
MARCH – Up to Abitibi – Circus excitement across all regions
Cirque Collini will present, twice rather than once, Équipage recherché on March 1 at Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne.
In Quebec City, Le Diamant will feature Kintsugi, the latest creation by Machine de Cirque, on March 6, 7, and 8. At the very end of the month and in early April, the Poliquin-Simms company will introduce Les P’tites Polisses to young audiences at La Chapelle. Les Productions Strada present their clownish and musical Babouche at L’Arquemuse de Québec, on March 8 and 9.
On March 6, the Saint-Léonard library suggests a cinematic interlude with Mon cirque à moi by Miryam Bouchard, which recounts her childhood with her late father, the clown Reynald Bouchard.
Circus in several regions in March. In Granby, Productions cirque à volonté offers Shirono Ballon, on March 1st. For youth,
In Montérégie, Productions Girovago will take the audience on a journey with their Barka, on March 4 in Longueuil. Les Foutoukours will present Nova with an acrobatic clown duo, on March 2 in Boucherville, on March 5 in Montreal, and on March 8 in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville. On March 9, in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, circus will merge with shadow theatre in Andy Giroux’s L’Hermite. DynamO Théâtre takes its audience on a bicycle journey with a touch of illusionism in À deux roues la vie, on March 23 in Longueuil, and at the end of the following month, on April 27 in Chambly.
In the metropolis, Le Monastère will begin its cabaret evenings at the Centre St. Jax , on March 7. The next day, it will be Productions Carmagnole’s turn to hold their annual benefit cabaret at the Plaza. At TOHU, Le Patin Libre will glide on the new refrigerated ice rink with
For young audiences in the Montreal region, La marche du crabe offers its Hiatus in LaSalle, on March 9, and in Verdun, on March 29. As for François Isabelle’s
In Abitibi, Cirque Collini will present Équipage recherché, on March 23 in La Sarre, on March 26 in Rouyn-Noranda, on March 28 in Ville-Marie, and on March 30 in Val-d’Or. Also, at the end of the month in Rivière-du-Loup, Agathe and Adrien will offer N.Ormes, on March 27.
APRIL – A month of poetry and circus prowess
The month begins with laughter: the Montreal Clown Festival will hold its eighth edition from April 4 to 12. In addition to shows and a cabaret evening, the event’s program offers clown art training by renowned artists.
Paperplane by Théâtre Advienne que pourra will take flight in Saint-Hyacinthe, on April 6, 7, and 8. The company will then perform at TOHU, from April 10 to 21. Inspired by hand-to-hand combat, La chose en soi, by Chita Project will be presented in Montreal at the Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée, on April 10, and at the Maison de la culture Notre-Dame de Grâce, on April 24. At the Maison de la culture Jeannine Sutto, it will be possible to see the creation Altération by Kira Arts | Aly Keita, on April 16.
On April 5, Les Foutoukours will perform Nova in Lévis, and on April 27 in Hull. Le Patin Libre will present Murmuration in the national capital at La Rotonde, on April 4 and 5. Les Productions Strada will offer their musically clownish Babouche in Quebec City, on April 27.
On April 20, Les Deux de Pique begin the tour of the solo show Clip! in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. Productions Girovago will draw the audience into the swaying rhythms of Barka in Rouyn-Noranda on April 11, in Rimouski, on April 23, then in Baie-Comeau on April 25, and in Quebec City on April 27. Still along the Saint Lawrence River, Ghost Light by Machine de cirque will light up the stage in Montmagny on April 26.
In Western, Eastern, and Atlantic Canada – Captivating performances from coast to coast
In the Maritimes, the fire troupe Geomatrix will warm up Shediac on January 17, and will go to the winter carnival in Tracadie on January 25, then to Moncton on February 15 and 16.
On the Canadian West Coast, the Australian company Circa will present its show Duck Pond at the Vancouver Playhouse, from January 22 to 25. Le Patin Libre will glide in Vancouver, from March 20 to 23, with its spectacular Murmuration. L’Aubergine will tour in Coquitlam with Walter Ego, on February 16, in Oliver, on February 21, and in Trail, on February 23. Cirque du Soleil will pass through with Crystal in Winnipeg, from February 20 to 23, in Edmonton, from February 26 to March 2, and in Prince George, from March 6 to 9. Later, in April, Agathe and Adrien will present N.Ormes in Vancouver.
In Atlantic Canada, in New Brunswick, the Peking Acrobats will visit Fredericton, on April 10, and will be in Moncton, on April 13; they will have been seen previously in Markham, Ontario, on March 30.
Manitoba will host Life Cycle, the English version of DynamO Théâtre’s À deux roues la vie, from January 17 to 30 in Winnipeg at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, and from February 4 to 6 in Guelph. The company is also bringing Batailles to Ontario, from March 26 to 30 in Ottawa, at the NAC. Australian company Circa continues its Canadian tour with
Kalabanté’s L’Afrique en cirque will tour Ontario, on April 6 in Markham, April 9 in Richmond Hill, April 10 in Brampton, April 11 in Kingston, April 12 in Ottawa, April 15 in Guelph, April 16 in Oakville, and April 22 in North Bay.
Let us conclude our national tour with an exclusive: Canada’s capital will host a new circus festival, the Ottawa Aerial Circus Festival, from April 25 to 27. The event features an aerial acrobatics competition, workshops, and performances, including Cirquonscient’s Dreamscroller.
To keep
We invite you to bookmark this press release to use the links to the venues mentioned. Visit the websites and other communication platforms of your favorite companies and those you discover in the coming months for up-to-date information on circus shows in Quebec and Canada.
Circus will visit over forty Quebec cities from January to April 2025. Several companies will perform in schools, which are not mentioned in this press release. The Destination Cirque initiative, launched by En Piste and supported by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, alone generates significant benefits with the presentation of 60 shows by 27 companies for a total of 116 performances in Quebec across 34 venues.
Discover circus arts in all their forms, their vibrancy, and their originality. En Piste wishes you a happy 2025, rich in culture and circus!