Published on: 2026-09-10
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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The show “Circus Divertissements,” which took place at Festival Square in Sokolniki Park from May 30 to September 6, was attended by over 85,000 people. The performances were organized by the capital’s Department of Culture and the Great Moscow Circus on Vernadsky Avenue as part of the project “Summer in Moscow”. Two unique programs were presented to the guests.
“More than 85 thousand spectators attended 85 performances by equilibrist performers, acrobats, jugglers, and aerial gymnasts. The big top tent is a modern, high-tech venue with 1,100 seats, thanks to which city residents were able to see acts featuring 150 leading artists,” noted the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the city’s Department of Culture.
The show programs “Circus Mystery: Keepers of Wonders” and “Lights of the Big Circus” were specially developed for the “Circus Divertissements” project. Each program included more than 10 dazzling acts from various genres, requiring the highest skill. Among them were stunts such as somersaults and pirouettes in mid-air, considered the most dangerous in the world. The highlight of each show was the ballet of the Bolshoi Moscow Circus.
“These are truly unique shows in terms of content and artistic lineup. The best of the best took to the arena — laureates of prestigious Russian and international competitions, as well as foreign artists working in our country. For the first time in the history of modern Russian circus, trained bison appeared in the arena. Preparing the act featuring these powerful and rare animals under the guidance of the French trainer Ivan Deforge took more than a year,” said People’s Artist of Russia Edgard Zapashny.
The project was visited by dozens of star guests. Among them are People’s Artists of the Russian Federation Elena Baranenko and Vladimir Doveiko, ballet artist Andris Liepa, Olympic champion Ilya Averbukh, honored artists of the Russian Federation Elena Petrikova, Dmitry Kuklachev and Vasily Timchenko, illusionist Sergey Safronov, theater and film actress Elizaveta Arzamasova, as well as the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana to Russia, Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah.
Among international viewers, interest in the “Circus Divertissements” was shown by circus performers and bloggers from China, Korea, India, Germany, Ethiopia, Namibia, Mongolia, Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Belarus, and other countries.
The first part of the project was the show program “Circus Mystery: Keepers of Wonders,” held from May 30 to July 12. Equilibrist performers and acrobats, jugglers and clowns, trained dogs and graceful predators took to the arena. A striking highlight of the show was the unique act “Group Jugglers” led by Ilya Kalinin: its participants are listed in the Guinness Book of Records for performing risky tricks at a height of 22 meters.
Starting from July 16, performances of the new program “Lights of the Grand Circus” began. Two-year-old trained bisons Karym and Ural, brought from Altai, appeared in the arena. In addition, the audience saw an act with a lion family, prepared by the hereditary animal trainer Pavel Zabelkin and his wife Zhanna. Another act in the program featured the chimpanzee Hermes entering the arena with trainers Anna and Robert Pautov. In some performances, Hermes was joined by his younger brother, two-year-old Samson. The Moscow audience saw him for the first time. The shows ran until September 6.
A unique infrastructure was created for the performances of the masters of the “Circus Divertissements” project. The erected big top reached a height of 22 meters, and the weight of the structures was 40 tons. Over 17 tons of decorations and props were used in the show programs.
The program of events in city parks contributes to the implementation of the goals and objectives of the national project in Moscow “Family”. More details about Russia’s national projects and the capital’s contribution can be found at special page.
“Summer in Moscow” — the main event of the season, which has already become a good tradition and an integral part of the city’s life. The main theme of this year is “Time to be together.” The project unites people of different generations around shared values, allowing them to get closer not only with their relatives but also with the entire city during walks, cultural and sports events, charity actions, as well as right near their homes in all districts of the capital.
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