Top artists ready for spectacle at Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain

As an annual custom, Cirque Phénix welcomes the leaders of the circus world in January, in a magnificent tent on the Pelouse de Reuilly in Paris' 12th arrondissement.

The world's best circus performers, from 16 to 30 years old, compete for medals at this circus competition, also known as the 'Olympics of modern circus disciplines'. A jury consisting of top experts from the field and coming from the best circus schools around the world judge the performers, while every year, thousands of attendees enjoy an unseen spectacle. Exceptionally, this year's jury is composed solely of women, with Marilou Cousineau as chairwoman, educational director of Montreal's national circus school.

This year, the 45th edition of the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain will take place from January 22 to 25, 2026. The festival includes four days of performances by young circus artists from around the world, divided into two programs (A and B), including acrobats, clowns and jugglers. Each night begins at 8:30pm, with a special winner's show on Sunday, January 25.

The shows are divided into two programs (A and B), each with about 20 acts per night, culminating in gold, silver and bronze medals for the winners on closing day. Exact names are often announced only shortly before the festival in order to maintain the surprise element, but we were already able to glimpse this year's talented participants.

This year we will be looking forward to acrobats from Russia and China, among others, including handstand and trapeze numbers, jugglers and aerialists from Europe, such as French and Italian artists with innovative object manipulation, clowns and comic duos for light-hearted interludes between the technical feats. On Sunday, January 25, we will find out which young performers' careers are skyrocketing, as a crowning achievement at this world-renowned circus festival is truly a great recognition that opens up doors worldwide.

For yet another year, the acts will be filmed and later broadcasted around the world on ARTE TV and ARTE Concert.

(MP/©The Global Entertainment/Illustration: Unsplash)