Les Toiles dans la Ville

Les Toiles dans la Ville: The Major Contemporary Circus Event in Lille

Les Toiles dans la Ville is the contemporary circus festival organized by Le Prato, National Circus Center of Lille, since 2011. This biennial festival has become a major event for contemporary circus in the Hauts-de-France region, offering an ambitious program throughout the Lille metropolis for a month.

Le Prato: A Historic National Circus Center

Le Prato has been located since 1985 in a former textile factory, Le Blan, in the popular Moulins district of Lille. Created in 1973 as a troupe of traveling clowns, Le Prato was recognized as a conventioned venue for burlesque arts in 1999, and then labeled a National Circus Center in 2011. It also co-manages the Plôt, a Cross-border Circus Center, with the Maison de la Culture de Tournai.

30 Companies in 30 Venues

Each edition of the festival brings together around 30 circus companies in as many partner venues in the Lille metropolis and the Eurometropolis, extending to Tournai in Belgium. The performances take place in tents, theaters, performance halls, and public spaces, offering a variety of artistic forms: acrobatics, trapeze, rope, juggling, balancing, aerial dance, contemporary clowning, and hybrid forms.

A Festival That Invests the City

True to its mission of circus in the city, Les Toiles dans la Ville takes over urban spaces with outdoor performances, under tents, and in unusual locations. The festival helps make contemporary circus accessible to all audiences, with a particular focus on popular neighborhoods and audiences distant from culture. Shows for young audiences and discovery workshops complement the program.

Building a Program

It takes about two years to build the program for each edition, which explains the festival's biennial rhythm. This timeline allows Le Prato to identify the most daring creations and build trusting relationships with the companies and partner venues.