Clown around in Temple Bar this July, when the Dublin Circus Festival returns to town, and the streets and public spaces of Temple Bar are transformed into a circus arena for 4 days (10th – 13th July) featuring spectacular outdoor performances from Irish and international circus acts including musical comedy, daring acrobat dances, stilt walking performances, comedy on the Liffey and a whole lot more.

Dublin Circus Festival, organised by Temple Bar Cultural Trust, aims to provide a platform for high quality circus from the best of Irish and international practitioners and build on the area of circus programming that TBCT has developed since the inaugural year of the Circus Festival.

Kicking off the Festival, is the action packed spectacle La Fanfare Jo Bithume, which is a cross between a village orchestra, a philharmonic orchestra and a Dixieland jazz band. La Fanfare’s eclectic repertoire ranges from Handel to Hendrix, Puccini and The Beatles and as the audience will see, relationships between the musicians are less than harmonious! The performance takes place on Thursday 10th July, in Meeting House Square at 3pm, 5.30pm & 7.30pm.

From action and comedy to thrilling dance and romance, the festival features a romantic dance macabre from the Underworld, Scarabeus Danza Antigua, which will perform on Friday 11th July, in Meeting House Square at 6.30pm. This internationally acclaimed theatre company, Scarabeus, put on a thrilling show for all the family based on the Mexican Day of the Dead. Performed on stilts and dancing in the air, audiences are thrilled by mischievous spirits sweeping across the floor, performing tangos, salsa, daring acrobatics and interacting with those who dare to watch.

A Circus wouldn’t be the same without performing insects- the Insect Circus, takes place on Sunday 13th July in Meeting House Square at 2pm & 4pm and introduces the larger than life insect characters that swapped an honest life in the soil for the bright lights of the stage. The show features acrobatic ants, a cage of vicious Vespa Wasps and Butterfiles on trapeze.
NB: There will be a strict ‘no insect repellent’ policy at these performances.

A debut for this year’s Dublin Circus Festival and one not to be missed is The Circus Cruise: Mad A-Boat Dublin with renowned comedian Rory O’Hanlon. The circus boat will make two trips on Saturday 12th July, at 2.45pm and at 4pm. Please note this is a ticketed event.

For those looking to complete venture into Meeting House Square for a Silent Movie showing at 10.30pm on Sunday 13th July. Buster Keaton’s masterpiece ‘The General’, one of the greatest silent movies ever made and featuring Keaton himself, one of the most famous clowns of the screen, will be performed live-to-screen by Neil Brand. Neil Brand has been accompanying silent films for over 25 years at film festivals and special events throughout the world. All aboard for Love, Locomotives and Laughs!

Professional idiot, Mr Toons, one of the most original and hilarious circus acts in Europe, will wow the crowds on Friday 11th July & Saturday 12th July when he tries to climb inside a balloon. The multi-award winning, internationally renowned Mr Toons and his big balloons will perform at 3pm and 7pm in Meeting House Square on Friday and 4pm, West Essex Street & 6pm Temple Bar Square on Saturday.

All events are FREE but some require tickets or advance booking due to limited spaces. For more information on Dublin Circus Festival, or a full programme of summer events, visit www.templebar.ie, call our Culture Line 01-888 3610 or drop in and see us at the Temple Bar Cultural Information Centre, 12 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.