World class acts at Circusstad Festival

Circus artists from countries such as Morocco, Spain, France and New Zealand will perform from Wednesday 30 April to 4 May at the annual Circusstad Festival, the largest circus festival in the Netherlands. There are free performances and workshops there. Tickets for exclusive performances in the tents on the square or at Theatre Rotterdam, the old Luxor Theatre, at the Maritiem Museum, Tall Tales Studio in Delfshaven and Codarts Circus Arts on Katendrecht are available via this link.

New Zealand's Laser Kiwi offers a unique mix of circus, bizarre skits and witty English-language stand-up comedy in its show Rise of the olive.

Theatre d'un Jour plays Reclaim, a gripping, immersive experience where the boundaries between audience and performers blur and where axes fly around.

Rotterdam's own circus comedian Harvey Cobb, together with Captain Frodo, who is taking a week off from Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas especially for Circusstad Festival, will present the cabaretesque Late Night at the Opticum on Friday and Saturday. A succession of unique acts and special guests. Captain Frodo himself performs bizarre acts, such as wringing through two tennis rackets or swallowing swords, with a heavy dose of humour.

Circus and breakdance

With 13 talented acrobats and breakers, Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger brings a dazzling circus epic with Ka-In. Choreographer Raphaëlle Boitel's creation is an ode to youth, a celebration of brotherhood and an explosion of energy. In which bodies seek and push the limits of the possible.

Ballroom is a magical line game of bouncing balls. This intimate performance takes place in a truck converted into a mini-theatre near the Maritime Museum. During OMÂ, German-Iranian Roxana Küwen Arsalan juggles with her feet but also engages in a dialogue with the audience. The funny ball game iRRooTTaa is very suitable for young children and at the Meander, five acrobats intertwine into one body.

Free screenings

On Schouwburgplein, there are free performances, including the Extraordinary with mentally handicapped the best performers from Rotterdam's youth circus Rotjeknor in Extreme Rotjeknor. There will also be mzuiek from the bands Klezmagic and Luna Maki.

In La Lévitation Réelle, acrobats create an illusion of weightlessness together with the audience. Led by circus creator Camille Boitel, the French company Compagnie L'Immédiat will provide this experience on 2 May and 3 May at Central Station and Schouwburgplein.