Jul8

the circus arrives.

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to avoid crowds, montreal’s circus festival will pop up in random places

Over the course of this week, some lucky residents in Montreal will be entertained with surprise circus acts that will pop up around the city at undisclosed locations.

The outdoor performances are organized as part of Montreal’s annual circus festival and are taking place from July 6 to 12 at random locations around the city in order to avoid huge crowds from gathering and maintain physical distancing.

As artistic director of Montréal Complètement Cirque, Nadine Marchand explains, a truck called the “Bonheur Mobile” will roll up to alleys, parks, streets, and squares in Saint-Michel, Anjou, St. Henri and the Quartier des Spectacles (to name a few) over the next week.

Ten Quebec circus performers will come rolling out and put on an hour-and-a-half-long show for any unsuspecting Montrealers who happen to be passing by or looking out the window.

Apart from breathing life and joy into the city, the festival has also been organized with the goal of providing work for the artists, as many have been out of work and unable to perform or tour due to the pandemic and it’s not clear when their industry will be back up and running.

Those lucky enough to happen upon one of these surprise performances are asked to stay on their front steps and balconies to avoid getting too close to others.

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“the circus arrives without warning.”

-erin morgenstern, the night circus

 

 

 

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story credits: marilla steuter- martin, cbc news, daily optimist magazine

53 responses »

  1. This is a superb idea and a beautiful gift to the people of Montreal. The organizers should be recognized for their contribution to keeping the artists working and to entertaining their cities residents, who are desperate for a distraction from everything going on right now. This is such a thoughtful and kind gesture. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. How magical is tne notion of the random ‘pop-up’ circus. May it bring joy to all in Montreal, because one thing’s certain joy is a very big denfence and/or antidote to anything that ails us. The powers that be in so many other places seemed to have forgotten this.

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  12. I am usually in Montreal this time every year, except for this one (even though it’s a drive away, I’m still hesitant to travel outside of my city). I’m sad to miss out on this! Thanks for sharing it Beth!

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  13. Another wonderful proof of Overcoming hardship with ingeniosity (or something like that, my E seems to fail me)…. LOVE THE IDEA.
    And Erin Morgenstern’s Night Circus is absolutely THE BEST. Unforgettable.

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