The Great Moscow Circus is the largest circus in Europe, located in Moscow at the intersection of Vernadsky Avenue with Lomonosovsky Avenue. The building was designed under the guidance of architect Yakov Belopolsky.
The circus opened on April 30, 1971. It has a system of five quick-change arenas. There is a separate rehearsal arena in the backstage area.
The first performances were shown to builders at the beginning of April 1971, the official opening took place on April 30 of the same year.
The area of the circus is 3000 m², the height is 31 meters. The auditorium, made in the form of an amphitheater, can accommodate 3,400 people. The circus was built in the style of artistic functionalism and is a tent glazed around the entire circumference under a folded dome.
The interiors are finished with natural stone, granite, marble, wood, glass, plastic and aluminum. The basis of the dome of the circus is 24 metal folds with a console, each weighing 30 tons. Its design was developed by engineers G. Krivin and Alexander Leonidovich Levenshtein. Between the outer shell and the false ceiling of the hall there are tiers of grates with the ability to fix suspended stage equipment at any point of the dome.
Spectators enter the hall from the intermediate and upper tiers of the vestibule through entrances located much higher than the arena. This decision made it possible to organize separate exits to the arena for artists and animals. The office premises of the circus are completely hidden in the stylobate part.
The interiors of the foyer are made with open passages, stairs, steel columns and mirrors. In front of each entrance, bronze reliefs are minted on the wall: a tightrope walker, a clown with a poodle and a lion jumping through a fiery hoop.
More than 500 people work in the circus: directors, choreographers, musicians, artists. Each season, the circus presents a new program, and in December a special New Year’s performance is staged. Among the productions of the circus are Lights of the New Circus, Moscow Meets Friends, Today is the Circus Festival, Ballad of the Brave, Russian Winter, Stars of the Olympic Arena, Space Rendezvous, Circus Rendezvous. During its existence, the circus has presented more than a hundred programs.
Every year since 2013, the circus hosts the Idol World Festival of Circus Arts. At the first festival, 200 artists from 15 countries performed, who were judged by three jury teams: professionals, journalists and spectators.
Circus artists regularly tour in Russia and abroad. In 2014, the circus came to Beijing, in 2015 – to Zhuhai with the number “Equilibrists on Perches” under the direction of Vadim Shagunin, who took second place at the II International Festival of Circus Arts. In 2016, the circus presented the show “UFO. Circus from another planet” in Dubai. The production involved jugglers, acrobats and gymnasts. In 2019, the show “OFU Landing” was presented in three cities in Bulgaria.
Address: Moscow, South-Western administrative district, Gagarinsky district, Vernadsky prospect, 7. Nearest metro Universitet.
Tickets
Ticket office is located in the circus building daily from 10:30 to 19:30 (break 14:00-15:00).
In GUM on Red Square daily from 11:00 to 20:00.
Phone for information +7 (495) 9-300-300.
Online booking is here: greatcircus.ru
