Friends, it is time once again for Asheville’s most fantastical festival of freakiness and fun… The Surreal Sirkus Arts Festival! As always, this is a FREE community event, brought to you by Arts 2 People, the organization that put on LAAFF for 15 years downtown.
This year’s festival will be bigger than ever with three music stages, a community storytelling tent, dozens of art vendors, food, beer and other libations, and of course, the highlight of the evening: the sunset performance by Surreal Sirkus.
The main stage at the Amphitheater in front of City Hall will feature live bands and musicians from Asheville and beyond. It will culminate in the Surreal Sirkus Main Show at 7:30 pm, which will showcase an array of performers, including aerialists, fire spinners, puppeteers, jugglers, dancers, and other circus acts.
This year’s show tells the story of one man’s journey after death, and the beings he encounters along the way. Unifire Theater, Street Creature Puppets, and many other local performance groups will take part in the show.
Also, this year, Arts 2 People has partnered with Create Fest, a local organization bringing diverse communities together through the arts. They will host an Open Mic & Showcase on the Reuter Terrace, from noon until 7 p.m. The terrace will also be home to a number of interactive exhibits and spaces for audience participation.
Meanwhile, at North Pack Square, there will be two more performance areas: an EDM stage on the raised lawn featuring some of Asheville’s finest DJ’s, and a Storytelling Tent located on the site of the former Vance Monument.
The latter is intended as a space for folks from around the region to share their personal stories as a way of bringing the community together in a spirit of healing and greater understanding of each other. (If you have a story you’d like to share, please DM us here or email: surrealsirkus@gmail.com)
And of course the Surreal Sirkus Arts Festival will include more than 50 local vendors showcasing their unique artworks and handmade crafts, as well as food, beer, and mixed drinks, which will be available for sale at the Roger McGuire Green.
The Surreal Sirkus has deep roots in the history of the town’s artistic life. It existed as both an annual event and a performance troupe of the same name from 1996 to 2005, when it was a staple of the city’s underground arts scene. It was resurrected in 2021 for the event’s 25th anniversary with the help of Arts 2 People.
The Surreal Sirkus Arts Festival is made possible by support from our sponsors, including:
Arts 2 People
Arts AVL
Buncombe County
North Carolina Arts Council
Create Fest
Create Inc
Café Canna
The Well
JenBen Media
Raven & Crone
Asheville FM
West Village Market & Deli
Dropp Science
Spiral Enterprises
And more to come!