The International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo (french: Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo) is an annual

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

festival that is held in

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

every January. The festival was created in 1974 by

Prince Rainier III of Monaco Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...

to recognize and promote circus performers at the pinnacle of their profession. It was initially held in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

until the festival's permanent venue in Monaco's Fontvieille district, the Chapiteau de Fontvieille, was completed. During the festival, circus acts from around the world are performed for paying audiences and are presented to a jury of circus professionals, specialists and journalists. The jury gives awards for the best circus acts, including the Golden Clown (), Silver Clown () and Bronze Clown (), in the form of statuettes. Special prizes are also awarded by various companies, organizations, institutions and individuals. The awards, called , are presented during a closing gala performance attended by the

Prince of Monaco The sovereign prince (french: prince de Monaco) is the monarch and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. All reigning princes have taken the name of the House of Grimaldi, although some have belonged to other families (Goyon de Matignon or ...

and his family. The festival is presided over by

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco Princess Stephanie Marie Elisabeth of Monaco (born 1 February 1965) is the youngest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly. She is the younger sister of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Caroline, Princess of Han ...

, who serves as the festival's president and oversees much of the planning of the competitions and gala shows. Princess Stéphanie became president of the event in 2006, succeeding her late father in the role. Past recipients of the festival's prestigious award have included Spanish clown

Charlie Rivel Josep Andreu i Lasserre (April 23, 1896 – July 26, 1983), best known as Charlie Rivel, was an internationally known Catalan circus clown. He was born in Cubelles (Barcelona, Spain). His parents Pere Andreu Pausas (Catalan) and Marie-Louise ...

(1974), American daredevil and trapeze artist

Elvin Bale Elvin Bale (born 1945 in London, England) is a former artist and daredevil with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, among many other international circuses. He performed a single trapeze act which finished with a heel catch. Among his othe ...

(1976), Russian clown Oleg Popov (1981), Italian clown

David Larible David Larible (born 23 June 1957 in Verona, Italy) is an Italian clown. Early life and family David Larible comes from six generations of circus artists, and his family has ties with many other European circus families. His great-grandfather w ...

(1999), American juggler

Anthony Gatto Anthony Gatto (born Anthony Commarota on April 14, 1973) is an American juggler who holds several juggling world records. He began performing in Las Vegas at the age of ten. Early years Born in ManhattanGatto, From Vaudeville Acro-Cat to the K ...

(2000), French circus director Alexis Grüss (1975 and 2001), American clown

Bello Nock Bello Nock (born September 27, 1968), often known simply as Bello, is an American daredevil clown and circus performer. Nock has been listed in the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' for his highwire walk over a cruise ship. He has performed s ...

(2011), Russian

teeterboard The teeterboard or Korean plank is an acrobatic apparatus that resembles a playground seesaw. The strongest teeterboards are made of oak (usually 9 feet in length). The board is divided in the middle by a fulcrum made of welded steel. At each en ...

act the Trushin Troupe (2017), Hungarian animal trainers Merrylu and Jozsef Richter (2018), and English animal trainer Martin Lacey Jr. (2010 and 2019).

References

External links

Official site

Circopedia: International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo
Circus festivals Theatre festivals in Monaco Recurring events established in 1974 1974 establishments in Monaco {{Monaco-stub

References

Further reading

External links