The International Ccontemporary Circus and Street Arts Festival RE RĪGA! 2026 has come to an end, bringing together approximately 33,000 visitors over eight days at Rīgas cirks and in parks across the city. The festival featured 40 artists from 14 countries and presented more than 30 events, including contemporary circus and dance performances, workshops, discussions and international industry meetings.
This year’s festival theme, TOGETHER, ran through both the programme and the atmosphere of the festival. Aerial and partner acrobatics, high-wire acts, contemporary dance, physical comedy and street clowning formed a diverse contemporary circus programme centred around trust, closeness and shared experiences. In several performances, audiences also became part of what was happening, while the overall atmosphere of the festival invited everyone to embrace the unexpected and look at the familiar with a little more openness and freedom.
“Circus creates a space where we can experience joy, surprise and the freedom to be a little braver and more open towards one another. At the same time, RE RĪGA! reflects a broader direction for Rīgas cirks: making circus increasingly accessible to different groups in society and bringing it more and more into the city and people’s everyday lives,” says Māra Pāvula, Director of Rīgas cirks.
Alongside its public programme, RE RĪGA! also served as an international meeting place for circus professionals. During the festival, workshops, discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions explored the development, accessibility and inclusion of circus, as well as collaboration between the Baltic and Nordic countries and the wider European circus sector. A special focus this year was placed on Flemish contemporary circus, introducing audiences and professionals alike to one of Europe’s strongest circus ecosystems through both performances and the professional programme. The festival continued to strengthen Rīgas cirks’ international connections and raise the visibility of Latvia’s contemporary circus sector.
The festival was supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Riga City Council, the Ministry of Culture, Circuscentrum, Flanders State of Art, the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture and BNCN.
Thank you to everyone who took part, came to see the performances, supported us and shared these moments with us! See you in 2027!
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