Free Street Festival Revives Circus Heritage
From 3 to 17 October 2026, the streets of Barcelona’s Sant Pere, Santa Caterina and La Ribera neighbourhoods will host Interrupcions, a free public arts initiative that merges contemporary circus, live performance, workshops and civic dialogue. Organised by La Central del Circ, Antic Teatre and Artefactum, the event aims to reclaim public space through art and collective memory. The project is part of the Arxiu de Circ, one of 14 measures in Catalonia’s Circus Development Plan (2023–2026), funded by the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya in collaboration with the Association of Circus Professionals of Catalonia (APCC). Rather than being framed as a traditional festival, Interrupcions is described as a 'Fair of Phenomena, Skills, Thought, and Circus', echoing a historic 1983 street fair during La Mercè festivities.
Reactivating Memory Through Performance
The opening event takes place on Saturday 3 October at 17:00 outside La Casa de la Seda, with a reactivation of El veí del balcó (1994) by the Catalan company Circ Perillós. This iconic piece transforms building façades and balconies into performance spaces, exploring tensions between street artists and residents. The performance will be repeated on 15 October. Over 15 days, ten site-specific interventions will unfold across the district. These include Mina – Les maleïdes aventures del Vampirtista by Jaume Clotet on 4 October, a family-friendly mix of spectacle and drawing workshop in Plaça del Pou de la Figuera, and De lluny by Verónica Navas on 15 October, an expanded cinema piece responding to the legacy of El veí del balcó.
Community Spaces and Workshops
Alongside performances, Interrupcions includes community-focused activities. On 10 October, Plaça del Pou de la Figuera hosts Plaça de la Sens Compartida, a day-long exploration of vulnerability, trust and care led by Kuzman. From 3 to 17 October, EnCIRCant el Barri offers circus workshops for children in various public spaces. A local traders’ fair will run on Corders Street and Sant Pere Més Baix on the same day. The closing day, 17 October, features the launch of the digital Arxiu de Circ platform and a round table titled Can We Create Without Memory?, inviting reflection on preserving circus heritage.
“We want to reactivate memory as a living tool for creation,” said organisers in a joint statement.
All events are free and take place in public spaces, aiming to foster community cohesion in a neighbourhood under tourism pressure.
Primary sources: ajuntament.barcelona.cat, agenda.cultura.gencat.cat, cultura.gencat.cat, icec.gencat.cat, xarxaomnia.gencat.cat. Reported by thenewbarcelonapost.cat, lacentraldelcirc.cat, apcc.cat, Entreacte, APCC - Associació de Professionals de Circ de Catalunya, The New Barcelona Post.
