Hupstate Circus Festival

Now in its fifth year, the festival has become a destination for performance lovers from all over the USA. Headlining the 2024 program was the US premiere of Play Dead, the highly anticipated debut show from the renowned Montreal-based People Watching Collective. Offerings include a diverse program containing free and ticketed shows, indoor and outdoor performances, family-friendly, and late-night shows.

Since 2021, Hupstate has garnered international acclaim for its extensive programming and wide draw, establishing itself as the first international performance festival in the U.S. dedicated entirely to circus. In 2024, Hupstate Circus received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, with the mission to elevate circus arts in the United States through high-impact and accessible festival and residency programs. Hupstate aims to continually bring visibility to how vibrant, diverse, and exciting the art form of the circus is.

Festival highlights included the first-ever swinging trapeze on Cherry St, free circus shows at the Press Bay Backlot, the interactive All Things Circus Zone for all ages, and a vibrant puppet and circus parade through downtown Ithaca. There were contributions from circus artists from the USA, Ecuador, Colombia, Australia, South Africa, Sweden, France, Finland, and Canada. In addition, audiences saw a show by world-famous juggler Jay Gilligan, watched the return of Ithacan Simone Stevens performing aerial rope after three years at circus university in Sweden, and witnessed a high-flying circus show from Montreal on top of a food truck. What will you see next year!?

This festival is proudly supported by the Park Foundation, Community Foundation, Tompkins County Tourism, NYS DanceForce, and the New York State Council on the Arts, whose contributions help us elevate the circus arts in the US.

The Hupstate festival is brought to life by the dedicated Hupstate board of directors, including Daia Bromberg, Amy Cohen, Avi Pryntz-Nadworny, and Natasha Shatzkin, with invaluable support from Access Coordinator Polly Solomon.