International Circus Festival prepares for latest edition with 21,000 tickets sold

The International Circus Festival Gold Elephant is gearing up for its 13th edition in Girona. With one week to go, the event has already sold 21,000 tickets, surpassing all previous sales records, according to the festival’s director Genís Matabosch.

“Maybe it’s because people are becoming more interested in the circus, or maybe this year’s program is more appealing,” Matabosch speculates.

He adds, however, that high ticket sales don’t necessarily guarantee a larger audience than in previous years.

The four-day-long event will take place in the Big Tent at Camp de Mart in Girona, kicking off on February 20.

24 new acts

A total of 24 never-before-seen acts will be performed in front of an audience of up to 2,300 spectators, as well as an international jury made up of renowned circus directors and experts.

The competition is structured into two semi-final shows, Red and Blue, where performers compete for a spot in the grand final, the ‘Gold Show’, held on the last day of the festival.

This year’s edition will feature 62 artists from 14 different countries, including group acts from China, Japan, and Russia.

While aerial straps will be the predominant discipline among performers, audiences can also expect to see flying masts, illusionism, knife throwing, synchronized rope jumpers, double trampoline, and both aerial and ground acrobatics.

Breaking the stigma

Despite the success of the festival, which has had over 900 different artists participate throughout the years - the circus still faces many misconceptions about its art form.  

"There are still three stigmas that need to be broken: that the circus is only for children, that it’s of low quality, and that it's removed from other performing arts,” explains Matabosch. 

He adds that one of the goals of the festival is to “restore the social and cultural prestige” of the circus through showcasing excellence and the versatility of the art form.  

 

Tickets range from €19 to 95€ per seat and can be purchased here.