The city of Girona is preparing to receive the twelfth edition of the Elefant d’Or International Circus Festival, which promises to dazzle the public with 24 acts never seen before in Western Europe.
This event, which will take place from February 22 to 27, 2024 in the Camp de Mart de la Devesa tent in Girona, just an hour and a half from Barcelona, stands out as one of the best circus festivals in the world.
With the participation of artists from 16 countries, the festival covers most of the circus disciplines, offering a unique and varied show for lovers of this art form.
Among the countries represented, the Ukrainians are the closest geographically, but this year a special inclusion stands out: the participation of the Catalans Ramó & Alegría, who surprised the organizers at the last circus festival in Zhuhai, China.
Genís Matabosch, director of the festival, highlights the uniqueness of Ramó & Alegría: “They are clown magicians who perform what we call catastrophe magic. At first, the trick fails, but when it comes out, it still seems more difficult.”
The inclusion of the comic magic of these Catalan artists adds a touch of originality and humor to the festival, challenging the traditional conventions of circus magic.
The Elefant d’Or International Circus Festival: a tradition of excellence
Each year, the festival presents 24 numbers that compete in two parallel shows. Three juries, composed of festival directors, critics and image professionals, together with the opinion of the public, determine the 12 finalist shows competing for the coveted Elefant d’Or in three modalities, inspired by the Dalinian figure.
“It is the best circus festival held in Western Europe and one of the five best in the world,” says Matabosch, highlighting the prominent position of this event that follows the model established by Prince Rainier at the Monte Carlo Festival in 1974.
The duration of the festival is spread over two shows, as presenting all the numbers would require almost six hours.
This year, the festival has brought forward the dates to avoid coinciding with Carnival and the Mobile World Congress. Genís Matabosch explains the decision: “We buy dozens of plane flights and moving away from Mobile is always more economical for us”, since the festival covers the travel of all the artists to Girona.
A sample of circus disciplines
The Elefant d’Or International Circus Festival will cover a wide range of circus disciplines, from the aerial rings of Ukraine’s Daria Humeniuk to the unicycles of Argentina’s Franco Carvallo, the triple flying trapeze of Chile’s The Flying Gonzalez and the impressive troupes of Chinese tightrope walkers.
The diversity and quality of the events will be unforgettable.
