Formed in 2015 as a collaboration between city wide venues and arts organisations passionate about celebrating Bristol as a City of Circus, the festival has become an important part of the performing arts landscape in Bristol and the UK.
To date we have delivered 6 festival programmes in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025.
Circus City 2025
2025 marked the 10th anniversary and our 6th biennial festival. Our 2025 festival theme ‘Bodies of Care’ centred on health, wellbeing and social justice with a programme of dynamic highly physical work including aerial explorations of black health care, a sensual acrobatic challenge to toxic masculinity and a bike duet about body image. Running from 9th-29th October the Festival engaged audiences of 4876 with 22 shows from 13 productions, alongside public workshops, talks, exhibitions and artist support sessions exploring this festival’s topic.
Audience feedback demonstrated that Circus City 2025 delivered outstanding artistic excellence, deep emotional impact and meaningful inclusion. Audiences repeatedly describe transformative experiences, strong representation, and a sense that the festival offers work unavailable elsewhere in the UK. Our quality data highlights both strengths and opportunities, supporting continued investment to grow reach while sustaining quality and access: 47% of those attending were under 35, 42% LGBTQ+ and 44% neurodivergent or disabled.
2025 programme in numbers:
- 4896 people attended
- 22 performances were presented
- 7 Industry events
- 49 artists performed
- 11 venues participated
- 32 volunteers supported
- 534 individuals played, danced, wrote, imagined and created at one of our workshops.
“It is the only place to see innovative international circus at the moment in the UK”
Feedback 2025
To see highlights of the 2025 programme click one of the links below or to see what shows were included you can view our past events or take a look at the 2025 Bodies of Care brochure.
To read more about previous festivals click the links below.
To make sure you are first in line to hear about our future programme and for access to early-bird ticketing make sure to sign up to our mailing list.
Nicole A’Court Stuart, Artistic Director
Circus City Festival & Handstand Arts
See Below to view Previous Editions of Circus City or view our Gallery here.