ZirQus Festival

03 - 07 Sept 2025

For five days, the ZirQus festival brings together the diversity of contemporary circus in the Zirkusquartier in the heart of Zurich. The broad programme of shows and workshops offers circus to marvel at, try out and discover.
The bar, food, concerts and circus programme invite you to linger - come along, celebrate the diversity of artistic forms of expression with us, share the experience and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere at the Güterbahnhof!

All shows and workshops are based on hat collection.

On Wednesday, the Cie La Lune Bleue will open the festival with Jusque Là and makes childhood dreams come true with aerial acrobatics, dance, theatre and live music in the open air. In the evening, the Compagnie Trottvoir spreads out a large mattress bed for the audience for the premiere of FLÄZEN and questions the political dimension of doing nothing. The Wednesday programme offers plenty to discover for families, children and anyone who wants to give space to their inner child.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Julian Vogel will be bringing Ceramic Circus brings his very own circus to the stage: endless drum rolls, a bicycle that defies all custom and a man on roller skates searching for balance. Following the spectacular show, an open training will take place for the first time during the festival: Amateurs and professionals alike are invited to round off the evening with training and dialogue.

After the joint Festival Dinner, the Late Night on Friday will provide a stage for two newcomers with the Artist in Focus format: Alma Gruber and Mano Vos. The piece SHOOTING SNOW WHITE is a radical one-woman solo performance that invites audiences to interpret old fairy tales in a modern way and to question current values in a critical and witty way.

The packed programme on Saturday and Sunday offers a circus experience for the whole family with workshops, open-air spectacles and stage plays! In the open air, the Collectif TBTF tells a dance-acrobatic fable without words, full of subtlety and gentleness in Pasterne . On the ZQ stage, the world-famous Compagnia Baccalà will mesmerise the audience with Pss Pss full of breathtaking acrobatics and poetic misadventures. On Saturday, Rich Man's Kitchen Orchestra will play a brilliant concert with extremely danceable music at our neighbours Galotti Musikwerkstatt. On Sunday, we will celebrate the end of the ZirQus 2025 festival together with the Circ-Exchange for professionals and indoor and outdoor shows. Come along and let yourself be carried away by circus fever!

You can find all the information about the ZirQus festival here.

Programme 2025

CERAMIC CIRCUS

Julian Vogel, Cie. Unlisted

A spectacle unfolds to the beat of the drum roll. A bike that defies convention. A glitter hit on roller skates. Plates dancing on the finest rods. In the midst of this sensory overload, the calm of a spinning ceramic ball. The unnoticed becomes monumental, the fragile becomes strong. Pure, simple, clear and yet daring and luminous. With Ceramic Circus, Julian Vogel creates his own circus and makes the audience forget all expectations.

60 min | From 7 years | ZQ-Bühne | Ohne Sprache

Mi 03. / Thu 04.

FLACES

Compagnie Trottvoir

In FLÄZEN, the audience lies down on a large mattress bed in the centre of the city. In this space of peace, community and intimacy, an auditory and performative reflection on the political dimension of doing nothing takes place. FLÄZEN is a co-production of Zirkusquartier and celebrates its premiere at the ZirQus festival.

80 min | from 10 years | outdoor space | language: DE

Mi 03. / Fri 05.

Jusque-Là

La Lune Bleue

Jusque-Là deals with the dreams of our childhood. What if we dared to be Powerpuff Girls, to follow our wildest passions and spread nothing but pure joy? Three circus artists give expression to their dreams through a mixture of floor and aerial acrobatics, dance, theatre and live music.

40 min | For all ages | Outdoor space | No language

Mi 03. / Sat 06.

PSS PSS

Compagnia Baccalà

In Pss Pss, two contemporary clowns on an empty stage are inspired by the silent film era. Camilla Pessi and Simone Fassari mesmerise the audience with breathtaking acrobatics and poetic mishaps, leaving the laughter reverberating long after the performance.

65 min | Ages 9+ | ZQ stage | No language

Sa 06. / Su 07.

PASTERNE

Collectif TBTF

Pasterne is a conversation between two artists:inside on the playground of the stage. Through their acrobatics, they illustrate the complexity of trust and communication and tell a fable without words, full of gentleness.

35 min | For all ages | Outdoor space | Without language

Sa 06. / Sun 07.

SHOOTING SNOW WHITE

Anna Lisa Grebe

A physical theatre performance and a f*cking modern fairytale: In the one-woman solo performance, Anna Lisa Grebe embodies the various characters of the fairy tale "Snow White" and, moreover, stereotypes, behaviours and clichés. Through exaggeration and the depiction of her own physical and mental nakedness on stage, she radically exposes the absurdity of a patriarchal system in which we still live. Always with a smile on her lips, she invites us on a journey into the glass coffins.

60 min | Ages 16+ | ZQ-Bühne | Language: EN

Fri 05.

REVISED

Alma Gruber: Artist in Focus

Alma Gruber would love to turn the world upside down, but that's not possible. So she turns herself around. Like an almost empty soap bottle. Up is down, inside is outside - and as a soap bubble, she flies free.
The Artist in Focus format offers a platform to circus performers at the start of their career.

20 min | Work-in-Progress | Ages 6+ | ZQ stage

Fr 05. / Sat 06.

ELLIPSE N°1

Mano Vos: Artist in Focus

Mano Vos wears his Cyr Wheel - not the other way round. He seeks a balance between tension and release. Movement is at the centre of his creation as he explores the fine line between control and surrender. The Artist in Focus format offers a platform to circus creators at the beginning of their career.

20 min | Work-in-Progress | Ages 6+ | ZQ stage

Fri 05. / Sun 07.

CIRCUS WORKSHOPS

Explore different circus disciplines!

During the festival, we invite you to try out circus for yourself. Get a taste of various disciplines such as juggling, balance or aerial arts and train together with others in open training sessions. Experienced trainers will help you discover new things and find your own circus style or improve your skills. There are programmes for children, young people and adults - and for everyone together.