Cirque du Liban takes off

Local and international shows underway

Cirque du Liban, the first local circus, was officially launched on October 30, under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism. The Ministry said the circus will present a bright image of the country, and will be a good way to kick off the coming holidays’ season.

Cirque du Liban is a Lebanese company specialized in broad artistic entertainment. The company was established back in 2005 by Thierry Antonios, and has been performing for various kinds of entertainment events since 2007 in local venues and across the Arab world in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.

The troupe grew from 15 performers to more than 120 Lebanese performers and foreign artists, working on and off in different events.

Antonios funded the project with an initial investment of $50,000. Monthly expenses hover around $30,000 to $40,000, including fees of the artists and engineers, land leasing, and equipment.

Local circus performances will start as of November 1, and continue over the three coming months. Antonios said their shows will be able to compete with many reputed circuses.

“Cirque du Liban will be a traveling show and we will be performing in different local and international cities.” The project was supported by the McDonald’s chain.