Summer Circus in Quebec and Canada

En Piste offers a glimpse into approximately fifty Quebec companies that will present their shows and performances across the territory during summer 2024. In addition to those in Quebec, several activities elsewhere in Canada will feature circus arts during the summer season: indoors, in amphitheaters, under big tops, in urban gardens, in the streets, in parks, in forests, along the St. Lawrence River, or by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Circus arts will also come to you by van, bicycle, truck, cart, yellow bus, food or beer truck, recreational vehicle, or even fire truck. Don’t miss it!

Season Kicks Off in June

From June 7 to 20, Quebec’s youth theater les Gros Becs will present “À deux roues la vie” by DynamO Théâtre.

In the Montreal area, “NoVa”, a recent creation by Foutoukours, will play at Belcourt Theatre on June 21 before heading to the Edinburgh Fringe. As for the Vaudreuil-Dorion Circus Festival, it will take place on June 21, 22, and 23. Additionally, several circus artists and companies, including Gadbike, le Patin Libre, and Kikasse, will perform at the Branle-Bas d’Hochelaga 2024 from June 28 to 30.

For the Whole Family, All Summer Long

From June 7 until the end of August. FLIP Fabrique will embark on its “Tournée des 400 coups” across Quebec, where the yellow bus of Vacances will also be touring. In June and July, Sœurs kif-kif will perform in about ten cities, starting with Saint-Casimir on June 15. Until September, throughout the province, the company le Gros Orteil will be touring with about ten shows. Kikasse will take its amazing circus truck to a dozen cities, from Chambly to Chambord. With its poetic street arts, Toxique Trottoir will present over twenty performances of “Arbracadabra” all summer long, primarily in the Montreal area. The Collectif 4237 will arrive with its circus squad in several Montreal boroughs, as well as in Val d’Or on June 23, Stoneham on August 17, and Laval on September 1.

Throughout its cultural centers and parks, the City of Montreal will feature several circus companies all summer long, from early June to late August, including Duo Hoops, M. Gazon, L’Aubergine, Kalabanté, les Débalancés, Acting for Climate Montreal, ÉcH2Osystème, not to mention the neighborhood tour during the MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE festival.

Until August 23, Cirque du Soleil welcomes audiences under its big top in the Old Port for “Kurios”. Its tribute to Rock et Belles Oreilles, “The Cirque”, is scheduled from July 17 to August 17 at the Cogeco Amphitheatre in Trois-Rivières, and the world-renowned company will be in Gatineau with “Echo” from August 17 to September 22.

The Cirque de Paris will give 70 scheduled performances in nine Quebec cities until August 4. Directed by Anoushka Bouglione, this family-friendly and traditional circus, which does not feature animals, includes seventh-generation acrobats in its European troupe.

Returning from Vancouver, Cirque Alfonse comes home with Barbu for its La Bastringue festival in Joliette, from June 28 to 30. It will feature the unforgettable Jerry Tremblay, Le Gros Orteil, Le Monastère, and Marguerite à bicyclette. This latter company, winner of the Jury Prize and Télé-Québec Audience Award at the Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal, as well as the CAM on tour, will present La crinoline aux chapeaux in several parks and streets of the metropolitan region until September.

New from June to September, a quartet of acrobats will perform in the aerial ballet “Là Haut”, in Mont-Blanc in the Laurentians. An unusual experience inside a forest observation tower, a collaboration between Vague de cirque and the Sentier des cimes.

Starting in July

By the river, in Saint-Germain-de-Kamouraska, the Cirque de la Pointe-Sèche presents “L’Étranger” from July 4 to September 1, in a splendid setting amidst nature. We head up the St. Lawrence towards the sea for Le Festival de cirque des Îles, from July 18 to 24. The event features Cirque Alfonse’s cabaret “Barbu” and Le Gros Orteil’s “Les Voisines” under the big top in Cap-aux-Meules. On the festival’s outdoor site, the Fake Blue Collective will present “Rien d’inclus”.

Elsewhere in the province, Les Deux de pique will be in Gatineau from July 11 to 13 with the “Famille GoldenCrust”. In the Eastern Townships, from July 11 to 14, ShazamFest will offer its neo-vaudeville festival in Ayer’s Cliff, where an informal Carmagnole collective will perform during the weekend. Not to be missed when passing through Saguenay, from July 18 to 27, is the “Cabaret Majestique” at Théâtre Palace, featuring virtuosos of circus arts and puppetry. Les 7 doigts de la main will revive “Éclats”, this time in Mont-Tremblant, from July 24 to September 2.

In the metropolis, Cirque Éloize takes us on its “Bon Voyage”, from July 3 to August 12, at the company’s studios in the former Dalhousie Station. The Cirque Kalabanté will be at Nuits d’Afrique on July 10 and in Rivière-des-Prairies on July 13.

Nothing is Impossible in Circus

The MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE Festival celebrates its fifteenth anniversary from July 4 to 14 and will host “Smashed2″ by the British company Gandini Juggling in the circular hall of TOHU, followed by “Duck Pond” by the Australian company Circa, and “Play Dead” by the young Montreal collective People Watching. Under the Grand Chapiteau of TOHU, Three Legged Race Productions from the United Kingdom, Parallel Exit from the United States, and Les Foutoukours from Quebec will present their shows, while the Studio-Cabaret de l’Espace St-Denis will offer encore performances of Cirque Alfonse’s “Barbu”, “Dirty Laundry” by Briefs Factory (Australia), and, for the whole family, Le Gros Orteil’s “Le Bibliothécaire”.

Loyal festival partners, La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines offers unconventional evenings with L’Autre cirque, while Le Monastère will surprise with its Cabaret du jugement dernier. Among other activities, Cirque Hors Piste will be festive with its Social Circus Carnival at Émilie-Gamelin Park, and we should also mention the International Contemporary Circus Market (MICC) with its many facets, the GÉANTE at Place Ville-Marie, the family space CIRQU’EASY in the Latin Quarter, and Show devant, in Montreal’s Old Port, an original circus performance by the Camion d’intervention artistique (CIA).

Where in August and September

In Montreal, the urban cabaret “Carmagnole à Gamelin” will take place on Tuesday, August 13, at Jardins Gamelin. Then, it’s the Aerial Weekends at TOHU, before heading to the charming alleyways of Montreal neighborhoods for the Festival des arts de ruelle (FAR), which will be in full swing from August 26 to September 8.

The Laurentian Circus Festival will return to Val David from August 21 to 25, featuring, among others, “Vacances” by FLIP Fabrique. Acting for Climate Montréal will visit Quebec City on August 24 and Blainville on September 22.

At the Chapö International Street Performers Festival in Mascouche, on September 15, 16, and 17, you will see, among others, le Grand cirque de Ryu, Nacho Con Salsa, les Belles Époques, le Grand Alexandre, as well as the delightful “Geek Quest” by Throw 2 Catch, which will previously be in Brossard on July 10 and on the 13th of the same month on Mont-Royal Avenue in Montreal. Circus shows will be programmed at the Mauricie Arts vivants (MAV) Festival in late September, from September 19 to 22.

Elsewhere in Canada

Here is a brief overview of circus shows presented in several other Canadian provinces, from east to west.

Cirque du Soleil shines in New Brunswick with “Corteo”, in Moncton from June 13 to 16. In Ontario, “Echo” will be in Toronto until August 4. The traditional Royal Canadian International Circus will be touring from Edmonton to Burlington, from June to September.

On the West Coast, Cirque Alfonse presents “Barbu” at The Cultch theatre from June 12 to 23. CircusWest celebrates its 40^th anniversary with I Love Circus Cabaret on June 16 in Vancouver. On June 27, the explosive cabaret “Sweet Tooth Burlesque Revue’s Circus Extravaganza” will be presented on June 27 at Queens in Nanaimo.

Still in the West, the Alberta Circus Arts Festival begins on June 20 in Edmonton with the Firefly Theatre & Circus cabaret. It continues with the duo Loco-Motion, the group Liminal, Agathe and Adrien, les Deux de Pique, Acting for Climate Montréal, and several workshops and training activities are also scheduled. We will see the “Famille GoldenCrust” by Deux de Pique again in Calgary on June 28 and 29.

In Ontario, the friendly Femmes du Feu will be active in the Toronto area all summer. A favorite event for circus artists, the Toronto International BuskerFest will take over the streets of the Queen City from August 30 to September 2. During the summer, FLIP Fabrique will present “Vacances” and “La tournée des 400 coups” in this province, in Ottawa, Toronto, and Mississauga. Circus artists will also perform at the Ottawa Fringe, from June 13 to 23, and at the Toronto Fringe Festival, from July 3 to 14.

In the Maritimes, the Buskers festival will be held in Halifax & Dartmouth from June 31 to August 5, and the Halifax Fringe Festival is also one to watch. FLIP Fabrique will present Vacances during the Congrès Mondial Acadien in Pointe-de-l’église on August 10. The Halifax Circus will offer various performances in Nova Scotia throughout the summer, and its Maritime Circus Festival is one to watch in September.

In Newfoundland, on June 23, St. John’s Arts and Culture Center (ACC) presents Off Balance by Wonderbolt Productions. The St. John’s International CircusFest returns from September 19 to 22 with training activities, roundtables, and several shows.

From coast to coast, circus enthusiasts and the general public will fill up on unforgettable moments during the beautiful season. All these amazing circus shows are waiting for you! Keep an eye on the websites and social media of circus companies, as well as the schedules of your favorite events. Enjoy the summer circus!