Utopians - Intercity

UTOPISTS – International City of Circus Arts

UTOPISTES – Cité Internationale des Arts du Cirque is a structuring project dedicated to contemporary circus in the Lyon metropolitan area . Led by the Association de Préfiguration de la Cité Internationale des Arts du Cirque, the structure develops an ecosystem bringing together artists, companies, students, amateur practitioners, professionals, schools, cultural actors and residents.

The project was born from more than ten years of cooperation between the MPTA company and the utoPistes Festival on the one hand, and the Lyon Circus School on the other. This collaboration aims to bring together in a single project the different stages of a circus career: discovery and amateur practice, artistic education, preparatory training, continuing professional development, training, creation, residency, production and distribution of shows.

This initiative reached a major milestone in October 2025 with the awarding of the National Circus Centre label by the Ministry of Culture. UTOPISTES thus became the fifteenth French National Circus Centre .

Implementation and schedule

Activities before the opening

UTOPISTES is already very active even before the opening of the permanent building. Its Training and Practices division develops a significant artistic and cultural education activity in the Lyon metropolitan area.

• 710 hours of school intervention in 2025
• 6 circus artists/participants mobilized
• 9 constituencies involved

For the 2025-2026 school year, the projects involved numerous schools in Vénissieux, Lyon, Saint-Fons, Givors, Vaulx-en-Velin, Corbas and Villeurbanne , as well as the Gilbert Dru college in Lyon.

These activities allow children and teenagers to discover circus arts through hands-on experience while developing projects in collaboration with educational teams. UTOPISTES is also working to develop tools to observe and evaluate the impact of these workshops on students, teachers, and participating artists.

Amateur practice and adapted circus

Amateur practice is an integral part of the project. UTOPISTES aims to create a shared dynamic between circus schools, associations, and circus partners in the Lyon metropolitan area. Open Stages , in particular, allow amateurs of different ages and backgrounds to meet and present their work as part of the utoPistes Festival.

The project also plans to develop adapted circus arts . UTOPISTES aims to create programs for people with disabilities, vulnerable individuals, and seniors. Circus arts are envisioned as a tool that fosters connection, self-confidence, independence, and the maintenance of physical abilities.

This component is still presented as a development plan rather than a permanent weekly offering. It is therefore important to distinguish this structured ambition from the adapted circus arts course already offered weekly.

Vocational training

Professional training is another pillar of the International Circus Arts Centre. UTOPISTES obtained Qualiopi certification in 2025 for its training programs.

The organization is now developing a lifelong learning program for artists, educators and other professionals in the sector, to develop or update skills, support career changes and promote continuity between initial training and professional life.

For the 2026-2027 season, UTOPISTES is announcing, among other things, a training course dedicated to the health of circus performers in relation to their artistic practice, on November 19 and 20, 2026. Other training courses, particularly those aimed at educational teams, are also being developed.

The project also includes specific support for people with disabilities in its professional training programs, with dedicated welcome documents and resources.

Support for creation and territorial role

UTOPISTES is also a key player in supporting contemporary creation. The organization assists artists and companies through residencies, co-productions, artist residencies, and various forms of support tailored to the different stages of project development.

This creative mission is directly linked to the role of National Circus Centre . UTOPISTES participates in the structuring of the circus sector and cooperates with numerous theatres, national stages, circus centres and cultural establishments in France and internationally.

The utoPistes Festival

The utoPistes Festival is the most visible manifestation of this work. Created in 2011 , it is presented as the only festival specifically dedicated to circus arts on the scale of the Lyon metropolitan area.

• The festival takes place in numerous partner venues and seeks to renew circus aesthetics.
• He gives significant importance to site-specific creations , in connection with heritage, architecture, public spaces and landscapes.
• The program combines original creations, repertory performances, work-in-progress showings, emerging artists, professional meetings, and participatory projects.
• Collaborations are regularly developed with the main cultural institutions of the metropolis.

The 2027 edition of the utoPistes Festival is announced to take place from April 26 to June 13, 2027. The full program is yet to be revealed.

Alongside the main festival, UTOPISTES participates in other circus events in the region. In September 2026 , Éclats de Cirque took place around the Lyon Circus School and in the 5th arrondissement, featuring professional shows and introductory workshops.

UTOPISTES also participates in the Night of the Circus . For 2026, a metropolitan program is announced from November 12 to 28 , in cooperation with various partner venues in Lyon and the Rhône region.

Territorial dimension and pathways

The territorial dimension is essential to the project. UTOPISTES is not simply seeking to build a new cultural facility in Vénissieux: the objective is to create a network across the Lyon metropolitan area linking teaching, amateur practice, professional creation, training, dissemination and cultural action.

This organization allows us to imagine a true path for the practitioner and the artist: discovering the circus at school, joining an amateur practice school, continuing towards preparatory training, possibly joining a higher school, becoming a professional artist and then benefiting from continuing education, training places, residencies and support mechanisms for creation.

Cooperation with the Lyon Circus School is therefore fundamental. The future establishment of its preparatory training program within the Cité will further strengthen this continuum between practice, training, and professionalization.

UTOPISTES also belongs to the network of the French Federation of Circus Schools through APCIAC and is affiliated with FREC Rhône-Alpes .

The International Circus Arts City is thus intended to become a place where all dimensions of the sector intersect: children discovering the circus at school, amateur practitioners, young people in training, professional artists, educators, companies in creation, programmers, cultural partners and audiences.