Lido (Amateur)

The Lido — Toulouse Municipal Circus Arts Centre

The Lido is Toulouse's Municipal Circus Arts Centre, an amateur training school renowned for its original educational approach and its major role in the development of contemporary circus. Located at 14 rue de Gaillac , it welcomes over 200 participants each year and offers a particularly comprehensive program for children, teenagers, and adults.

Educational project

The Lido project is based on the conviction that circus arts and their multidisciplinary nature contribute to personal development. Rooted in popular education and inspired by progressive education methods, its teaching goes beyond the acquisition of technical skills: creativity , autonomy , personal commitment , experimentation, sharing, and individual fulfillment occupy a central place.

Children's and teenagers' trail

For children and teenagers, the school offers a comprehensive artistic program that can be developed over approximately ten years. Entry into the annual courses is possible from the age of seven and a half and requires prior circus experience. Younger children can first discover the practice through introductory workshops organized during school holidays.

The first groups, Monkeys and Sea Lions , welcome children aged 7 and a half to 9 and a half . They delve into all circus techniques and discover different forms of artistic expression. From this first stage, the students participate in the creation of a show presented during the Lido Festival .

The program progresses with pre-teen and then teenage creative groups. Throughout the course, the practice becomes progressively more demanding, and the young people are encouraged to temporarily specialize in one or two techniques before exploring others. This structure allows them to develop genuine versatility while deepening their understanding of specific disciplines.

Artistic creation is present throughout the entire process. Students do not only work on isolated figures or techniques: they learn to use them in personal and collective research, to develop proposals and to engage with the public.

Youth groups can also experience touring, participate in festivals, and meet students from other circus schools. These exchanges expose young people to different educational and artistic approaches and contribute fully to their cultural development.

Workshops for adults

Adults also have a structured program with the Adult Amateur Workshops . Each participant chooses a specialty from four options for the year. Beyond technical development, participants work together on a collective creation presented at the end of the year during the Lido Festival.

• Acrobatics
• Air
• Balance on equipment
• Juggling

KiproKollectif

The KiproKollectif is a particularly interesting option for practitioners aged 17 and a half and over . Situated at the crossroads between the end of an amateur course and, for some, the beginning of a reflection on professionalization, this collective allows for the pursuit of demanding practice and artistic research without constituting a formal professional training program.

Its structure combines regular training, technical and artistic work, research weekends and internships. It thus offers an intermediate space for young adults wishing to continue developing their skills and their circus identity.

Introductory courses

For children not yet enrolled in the annual groups, Le Lido organizes introductory workshops during school holidays, with the exception of Christmas. Aimed at children aged 6 and a half to 8 and a half , these workshops offer a full week of discovery in acrobatics, aerial disciplines, object balancing, and juggling.

These workshops are led by professionals and combine technical training, games, creativity, and group activities. On the last day, the children present the results of their week to their families and friends. Meals and snacks are included, allowing for a true daily immersion in the world of the circus.

Research and recognition

The Lido possesses a pedagogy unique enough to be the subject of current university research. Since 2024 , a doctoral student in educational sciences has been conducting research within the school on the pedagogy of amateur circus arts and its effects on life paths, in collaboration with the City of Toulouse and the University of Bordeaux.

This approach illustrates the Lido's unique place in the history of French circus pedagogy. The school has long been recognized for its way of combining technical learning, personal development, autonomy, creativity, and teamwork.

The history of Le Lido is also closely linked to the professionalization of circus artists. Faced with the growing demand for professional training, however, the activities were separated. Ésacto'Lido – École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque Toulouse Occitanie now handles professional training, while Le Lido continues its municipal mission focused on amateur circus practice.

This distinction is important: the Le Lido Municipal Circus Arts Centre is currently neither a CPES nor a DNSP-AC. However, it remains a place where some young people can develop a particularly advanced artistic practice before potentially pursuing a professional career.

Relationships with contemporary creation and events

The Lido naturally maintains strong ties with contemporary creation. Students regularly discover shows, meet artists and participate in various events allowing them to test their skills on stage.

• Circus Night (November)
• Circus Rehearsals (several Wednesday evenings)
• The Lido Festival (June)

The Lido Festival is the culmination of the year's work for many groups. Children are taught from a very young age to view performance not as a competition or a simple technical demonstration, but as a step in their creative process.

2026-2027 Season and Registrations

The 2026-2027 season continues this structure. The children's, pre-teen, and teen groups are complemented by the Adult Amateur Workshops and the KiproKollectif. Registration for children and teens is now closed for this season, demonstrating the school's strong appeal.

The Lido also remains open to children who simply want to discover the circus through introductory workshops. For the 2026 All Saints' Day holidays, a week is scheduled from October 26th to 30th for children aged 6 and a half to 8 and a half .

Conclusion

In Toulouse, Le Lido is therefore much more than a series of circus classes. Its operation is based on the construction of genuine artistic pathways in which technical learning, creativity, autonomy, performance, teamwork and cultural awareness develop progressively.

From children discovering the circus during a week-long workshop to young adults in the KiproKollectif, via adolescent creation groups and specialized adult workshops, the Municipal Circus Arts Centre defends a demanding practice but deeply attached to individual and collective emancipation.

Its history, its educational project stemming from popular education, the place given to creation and its connection with the Toulouse professional network make the Lido today one of the most unique and recognized schools of amateur practice in the French circus scene.