Events

Experience the wild fun of circus, sideshow and street theatre this Easter


HOOPLA – Australia’s biggest circus, sideshow and street theatre festival will arrive in Darling Harbour just in time for Easter!

Step right up to an amazing long weekend of heart-stopping circus stunts, eye-popping aerial feats, sensational sideshow artists, incredible acrobats, side-splitting comedy capers, jaw-dropping jugglers, outrageous daredevils, spectacular sword swallowers and more!

Presented by Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, HOOPLA Festival will run all Easter long weekend, with daytime performances from 12pm–6pm and night time shows from 6pm–10pm.

The whole family will delight in this exciting festival featuring phenomenal circus and street theatre shows, an International Busker’s Pitch, a Kids’ Circus Playground, and fringe-flavoured performances in the Big Top circus tent in the evenings.

This year’s Hoopla will knock your socks off with internationally renowned Spanish clowns, sideshow superstars and mind-blowing trapeze artists. You’ll cry with laughter...you’ll squirm with fear....you’ll gasp in awe! Five world-renowned international acts will bring their magic to Hoopla including Leandre and La Tal (Spain), Begat Theater (France), The Chipolatas (UK), Becky Hoops (Canada) and Gareth Jones (UK).

Grab your ticket to some of the most exciting performances in town at the Hoopla Big Top (tickets available online and onsite at the Big Top). Best of all, every outdoor show at the Hoopla Festival is FREE – and for kids under 12, every show is FREE!

The kids can run away with the circus at the CircusWorks – Children’s Playground! It’s a non-stop kids’ fun zone where they can try their hand at juggling, spinning plates, walking on handheld stilts and hula-hooping with the guidance of circus experts.

Step inside the Tiny Top for a mix of short, sharp sideshow acts from around the globe in a vibrant, popcorn-scented atmosphere. Be amazed as the Tiny Top artistes perform fun stunts, feats of magic and dazzling displays of daring (Tickets $5).

Roll up to the Castello – a mini-theatre tent packed with quirky, ridiculous and sometimes just plain silly comedy acts. Every show is a guaranteed to have you in stitches (Tickets $5)!

Everyone will love the International Street Performers Pitch, featuring high-energy busking circle shows and impressive interactive street theatre performances (for a small donation). Don’t miss the international acts including the hilarious Becky Hoops alongside Shirlee Sunflower, Gareth Jones and other stars.

As night approaches, grab a seat at one of the hottest shows in town with vaudeville and freaky sideshow acts in the Big Top. Hoopla’s night time shows will tickle your fancy with some of the most daring street performers and intriguing circus groups in Australia (not one for the kids!).

Hoopla’s program highlights:

Leandre and La Tal – present Demodes (Spain)

A truly mesmerising performance by one of the world’s most renowned clowns Leandre Ribera – an award winning artist who has performed all over the globe during an impressive 25 year career. His show Demondes is a tragi-comedy told in classic clown language about three lost clowns who are cast out by a changing world. Come and experience a show unlike anything you’ve ever seen in Australia - it is a ‘must see’ of the Hoopla Festival.

The Chipolatas present ‘Gentlemen of the road’ (UK)
The Chipolatas will wow audiences with their unique and high-energy performance presenting unparalleled physical feats, high-octane circus skills, live squeezebox and break beats….and a touch of clog dancing! The Chipolatas come to Darling Harbour straight from sell-out seasons in the UK and Europe.

Begat Theater (France)

For the first time in Australia, France’s Begat Theater brings Hidden Stories to Hoopla Festival. Hidden Stories is a unique performance... an artistic event camouflaged in plain sight. The audience, wearing headphones, listen to the inner monologues of the passers-by and to follow them through the streets, as if inside their heads, deep in their private thoughts.

Gareth Jones (UK)

Do not try this at home...marvel as Gareth is manually wrapped in 100 metres of gladwrap and sealed from head to toe. With his life in the hands of the audience, laugh until your sides hurt as he attempts the seemingly impossible. A daring upgrade of the classic ‘escape’ show that is guaranteed to enthral and amaze.

Becky Hoops (Canada)

Becky Hoops will have her audience in stiches with her absurd characters and her many hula hoops.

The League of Sideshow Superstars

Fresh from the Melbourne and Adelaide Fringe Festivals, the League of Sideshow Superstars will shock, astound and inspire with their troupe of hardcore sideshow artists. These freakish performers combine high-skill circus routines with slick stunts to create the funniest and friendliest show for the whole family to enjoy. They’ll have you jumping in your seat and screaming for more!

Three Men in a Tub

Living on a crazy mobile contraption, Three Men in a Tub will lead you on a tragi-comedy ride of epic proportions! Keep your eyes out for the Butcher, The Baker and The Candlestick Maker as they tear around Darling Harbour creating chaos and hilarity.

The Little Red Trapeze Company – Ready for Takeoff

Soaring high above the ground, these daring acrobats will fly, flip and float through the air with incredible precision and timing. Beautiful acrobatic balancing, hilarious slapstick comedy and truly heart-stopping stunts combine to make a feast for the mind, body and soul that is simply unforgettable!

3 High Acrobatics

“Knock Off” (a hilarious send-up of renovation programs) is the new work by 3 High Acrobatics – a team of young graduates from the National Institute of Circus Arts. Audiences will be mesmerised by their amazing skills in acrobatics, stunt work, aerial apparatus, movement, comedy and music.

Ring of Fire

See the most talented street performers from around the world perform in a special cabaret of acts. This is not stuff you’ll see on the street so grab your ticket to Ring of Fire!

Cost: FREE outdoor performances
Ticketed shows inside the Hoopla Big Top circus tent (from $10)
Tiny Top and Castello sideshows $5