On the occasion of a press conference held on February 9, 2026, the Mayor of Montréal, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, announced the relaunch of Montréal, métropole culturelle, led jointly by the City of Montréal, the governments of Québec and Canada, and several key partners from the cultural, economic, and tourism sectors.
This announcement sends a strong signal to Montréal’s cultural ecosystem and confirms the importance placed on culture as a driver of identity, attractiveness, and development. By emphasizing active collaboration among the different levels of government, this relaunch opens a new cycle of dialogue aimed at defining a shared vision and deploying structured and sustainable solutions for Montréal’s creative core.
In this context, En Piste, National Circus Arts Alliance, welcomes the clear intention to work in a coordinated and collaborative manner. Montréal, internationally recognized as a circus capital, plays a unique role within the artistic landscape, at the intersection of creation, innovation, territorial engagement, and international outreach.
En Piste reaffirms its commitment to working actively with all partners in order to contribute to this relaunch. Drawing on its national expertise and in-depth understanding of the realities of the field, the organization seeks to take part in consultation processes, contribute to strategic reflections, and support the implementation of measures adapted to the development of working conditions for circus artists, companies, and organizations.
The relaunch of Montréal, métropole culturelle represents a structuring opportunity to strengthen ties between public authorities and the circus community, from a perspective of sustainable development, policy coherence, and increased recognition of circus arts as a flagship discipline.
En Piste will closely follow the next steps of this initiative and remains fully committed to contributing to this collective endeavour, for the benefit of the circus arts community and the broader cultural ecosystem.