Over 50 activities across Catalonia to celebrate World Circus Day

For World Circus Day, over 50 activities are due to take place until April 25 all across Catalonia.  

The Association of Circus Professionals of Catalonia (APCC) have planned the events with the help of various contributions from the sector, such as venues, equipment and performers. They aim to promote the circus and associated performing arts across the country, especially during a time when there are mobility restrictions and capacity limits in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

A total of fifty activities have been organized to take place over the coming days, including shows and workshops in Sabadell, Tiana, Berga, Barcelona, Mataró and other Catalan cities. 

The main celebration, supported by the APCC, will be organized by the Tub d’Assaif association in Terrassa and take place on April 17. 

They have also released a manifesto, written by professionals such as Serena Vione, Andrea Martínez, directors of group Encirca’t and Maiol Pruna, student and emerging artist. It criticizes the precariousness that the circus sector has been experiencing due to the Covid-19 pandemic and calls out the government for consistently neglecting culture. 

This text will be read during the main event in Terrassa, and it is also encouraged to be read at other smaller events happening across Catalonia.

A circus which reaches even further than it used to

Mobility restrictions and capacity limits over the course the pandemic have continued to encourage the circus sector to evolve in interesting ways. 

For example, ‘Pobles de circ’ is a scheme put in place by the Circus Promotion Plan of the Department of Culture and the APCC to spread circuses to smaller towns.

Therefore, the municipalities of Sort, Prats del Lluçanès, Ulldemolins and Bellver de Cerdanya, have been able to see shows from troupes such as Planeta Trampolí or La Cirquestra.

Genís Matabosch, a circus’ leader, explained that in some ways, the pandemic and the closing of borders had helped create a better show. Indeed, they have been able to get wonderful acts that would usually be performing all across Europe.