The Temple Bar Circus Festival, July 9 to 12

We’re barely over the Street Performance World Championships before we’re into another action-filled showcase for world class performers. The Temple Bar Circus Festival is coming to town soon!

With comic trapeze and aerial circus feats, roving dancers, comedy acts, a circus cruise and street samba, there’s a whole lot going on from July 9 to 12. Events include a dragon walkabout, an art jam, a cannonball circus, a face painting workshop, a screening of Moulin Rouge in Meeting House Square (!), a Chinese Pole workshop, a Man in a box, a screening of Adventureland, something called Animatazz, an acrobatic workship, a militant traffic warden and a circus skills workshop - that’s a lot of things over four days!

Best of all? It’s all free. Yes, that’s right, free.

There’s a lot that you’ll want to see, either with children or friends or both! There’s the Loyal Club, an award-winning show of comic trapeze and gigantic balloons, the Von Trolley Quartet from Australia who combine musical routine with slap-stick circus skills, the Great Vasili’s Eruption, the eastern European circus phenomenon who performs a handstand 5 metres above the heads of the audience and the Barren Carrousel, a dazzling aerial circus troupe who perform on long colourful silks. More after the jump:

From the press release:

Lorraine Maye, Circus Festival Programmer, Temple Bar Cultural Trust, has chosen a range of diverse performers from all over the world to ensure the festival features unique and top quality acts that suit a broad audience.

“We are delighted with this year’s line-up; we have fantastic street and aerial acts that will really impress the audience and draw the crowds into the open spaces of Temple Bar. We’ve put a bigger emphasis on interactive shows this year as audiences like to participate in the antics. There’s also a nice range of workshops which provide an opportunity for parents and kids to be creative together.

Anyone looking for an adventure, a laugh and hours of free entertainment should venture into Temple Bar over the four days; it is guaranteed excitement and memorable entertainment.”

Some of the free workshops include:

Creative face painting (90 mins) - Filmbase - Friday 10 July, 4:30pm, Saturday 11 at 2PM, booking essential. For parents and children aged 6+ working in pairs

Kids, this is your chance to face paint Mum or Dad, parents, get great face painting ideas for holidays and parties! A fun, family introduction to the world of face painting. Kits, designs and a supportive facilitator will be available, though each pair is welcome to come armed with their own design ideas!

Acrobatic Workshop with Ali (60 mins) - St Michael and Johns (entrance at Cultivate) - Sunday July 12 - 2pm, for adults and children aged 6+

Want to learn some acrobatics? Or just have some fun? Skills taught in this workshop will range from basic tum- bling and rope skipping, to hat juggling and pyramid building. The limbo section is always a hit with the kids!

Circus Skills with Fanzini Brothers (60 mins) - St Michael and Johns (entrance at Cultivate) - Sunday July 12 - 4:30pm

Sign up to learn all the tricks of the circus trade! In a supportive environment, it’s amazing how quickly young and old can learn to juggle, spin plates, use a diablo and balance objects.

Animatazz (60 mins) - Filmbase - Sunday July 12 - 2pm, 3pm and 4pm for children aged 7+

Using a ball of clay, this ‘hands-on’ workshop will give an insight into how animation works in a fun, educational way. Everyone attending the workshop gets an opportunity to be the animator, cameraman, video editor and production supervisor as well as assist others and create their own personal circus-inspired clips!

Some of the great free events include:

The Loyal Club - Thurs July 9 - 1pm and 4pm - Meeting House Square - 45 mins

An award-winning show featuring comic trapeze, clubs, balls and gigantic balloons in rapid succession! An unpredictable stand up circus show with plenty of audience participation guaranteed, you won’t want to miss this fantastic festival opener! No tickets required—just come along!

Block Party - presented by the Dance Theatre of Ireland - Thursday July 9 - 6pm - Meeting House Square - 30 mins

Dancers from Argentina, Switzerland, Portugal, Wales and England go roving with musicians and musicians, tumbling blocks, human architecture–it’s a BLOCK PARTY! This colourful outdoor spectacle is a movable feast for the senses as six dazzling dancers perform, constructing giant-sized toy blocks before your very eyes.

Cannonball Circus - Thursday July 10 - 2:30pm and 4:30pm - 50 mins

Festival favourites Guido and Ronaldo Fanzini present their new show Cannonball Circus featuring a gargantuan cannon! With no concern for their own safety, they laugh in the face of danger…

The Barren Carousel - Friday July 10 - 3:30pm - 40 mins

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages… step right up to the Barren Carrousel Aerial Circus Troupe! Prepare to be dazzled by back cracking contortions and death defying aerial feats.

Up Above - performed by the Tumble Circus - Sunday July 12 - 1pm and 4:45 pm - 45 mins

Slapstick acrobatics, hazardous aerial and flying hula-hoop all performed around a 7 m high free standing trapeze rig. This show is alive with the endless possibility of the human body, the joy of performing, and the absurdity of failure.

S-Factor - Friday July 12 - 12 noon and 5pm - 40 mins

Two wannabe celebs, Seamus and Sean, will do anything to be famous and believe their big singing and dancing break is just around the corner! A show packed with high level acrobatics and circus skills.

Sweet Life - performed by the Gandini Jugglers - Sunday July 12 - 2pm and 4:45 pm - 45 mins

Seven performers weave intricate patterns with both dance and juggling in a charming and evocative celebration of summer inspired by Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. Your chance to experience this fantastic show from the world’s leading chorographed juggling group

The Magilligans - Saturday July 11 - 3pm - 40 mins

These Ulster lads have put a lot of hard work in preparing their new show which is a mix of hippety hop, acrobatics and extreme tea drinking. Is it possible to country-fi hip hop? Come and bust a move with the boys and find out

Other performers very much worth seeing include the Man in a Box performed by Maynard Flip Flop, The Pitts from Australia (brother and sister act from Australia), the Masamba Circus Walkabout, Moustacha and his amazing camel Pamela, the Von Trolley Quartet - “popular music covers on quirky undersized instruments combined with comic routines and slapstick circus skills” apparently, the Victorian Gent walkabout - towering over 9 feet tall - and the Great Vasili’s Eruption - Chinese Pole, traditional vodka tasting and a unique handstand according to the programme…

One of the particularly cool things is the Magical Circus Cruise on the Liffey - Saturday 11 July at 1415 and 1615 - on Spirit of the Docklands leaving from Batchelor’s Walk.

All aboard the ‘Spirit of the Docklands’ as it journeys down the river Liffey for a fantastic boat tour with a magical twist! The incredible, award-winning Brendan Byrne will be on hand to entertain with a walkabout show on the boat packed full of magic, illusion and audience participation.

What you should do NOW!

All events in the Temple Bar Circus Festival are FREE but some will require you to collect or book tickets. Tickets can be collected from the Temple Bar Cultural Information Centre (map above) and workshops must be booked by phoning (+353 1) 888 3610 or emailing [email protected]. You can also find out more on the Temple Bar website here and download the full programme here.