If “That’s where the magic happens” truly applies anywhere, it’s to the circus, where magicians, clowns and acrobats amaze and entertain. This weekend, you can see it all up close at the first in-person Circus Festival in Edmonton since the pandemic started.
The Alberta Circus Festival offers four days of performances, workshops and shows. Different highly skilled artists and performers from all over the country, and even Europe, will participate in the festival. It’s exciting “to welcome all these amazing, talented people to [Edmonton],” says Annie Dugan, artistic director of Firefly Theatre & Circus.
Dugan says that there’s a national community for singing, dancing, and music in Canada — but there isn’t much of one for the circus arts. The acrobats and circus artists don’t work as collaboratively as other artists, and therefore don’t have a strong, unified voice. So this festival is a chance for circus artists to collaborate – to “meet each other, to see what each other’s doing, [and] to learn,” Dugan adds.
Attend the festival to witness performers taking big risks to perform breathtaking feats — which they’ve practiced for 10 years or more — up close. “There are times when things go wrong [but] the show must go on,” Dugan laughs. “Come out and support us so that we can make some magic for you.
Alberta Circus Arts Festival will occur from June 23 – 26 in French Quarter at Campus Saint-Jean.
