Your August Cork Circus Guide by Circus Factory Cork is here!
Pitch’d Circus & Street Arts Festival is back again this year with fan favourite fire performance, a stunning Circus Factory member led gala ‘Weird in Cork’, family fun day, and more.
What you’ll find in this guide:
(Tip: Click on the section you want to see)
Circus in Cork in August
Adult Workshops
Adult Classes | Summer Series
July – August, 2026
Want to keep your circus training for the summer? You’re in luck! This summer 2026, we’re hosting summer circus classes for adults. Drop in to an adult circus class running for 6 weeks!
Sold Out! Fire Manipulation Workshop
August 9th | 12PM – 6PM
Looking to add some spice to your life? Fire manipulation workshops with Fire in Your Face will give you the skills you need to create your own amazing fire manipulation performance!
Aerial Taster Workshop
Sunday August 16th | 3.30 PM – 5 PM
Do you want to start Aerial with us at Circus Factory, but would love a taster? You’re in luck! Curious about Silks, Trapeze or Hoop/Lyra? Come and try all three!
For Youth
Circus Factory is so excited to host the Shared Island Youth Exchange as part of Pitch’d Circus and Street Arts Festival 2026.
Shared Island Initiative connects young circus artists across the island of Ireland through youth exchanges and key events. The initiative will create opportunities for young people from youth circus organisations north and south of the border to meet, collaborate, and build lasting connections through shared training, creative workshops, and participation in major circus events.
For Families
Community Fire Show
Friday August 14th | 8PM
Cork’s BIGGEST Fire Show is back, and it’s free! Last year, over 800 people came to the family-friendly fire show, and we’re expecting a big crowd again this year. We’re encouraging you to walk, cycle or even skate to the location where possible.
Family Workshops
Sunday August 16th | 10.30AM – 1PM
As part of Pitch’d Circus and Street Arts Festival 2026, Circus Factory are hosting casual family workshops.
We’re inviting the kids of Cork to bring their grown-ups to the circus. The workshop is designed for kids and their grown-ups to try lots of circus equipment together like hula hooping, juggling, acrobatics and tightwire. This event is suitable for kids aged 5+ with no upper age limit!
Circus Events in Cork
Quare Fruit Show
Friday August 14th | 10PM
Quare fruit is an interdisciplinary performance work using original music, circus and dance to tell the tale of a Queer Irish experience.
Please check the warnings on the event webpage
Pitch’d Festival Gala
Saturday August 15th | 8.30PM
Get ready to be blown away by the finest circus talent around!
For this year’s Gala show, Circus Factory is proud to present a Weird in Cork cabaret! From astounding feats to captivating performances, this Gala show delivers the nonstop thrills and spills that pay the bills!
‘Missing’
Sunday August 16th | 8PM
MISSING looks at the notion of queer women’s erasure from history during the rise of the far right in 1930s Europe.
Circus Around Ireland
Circus Gerbola
Fossetts Circus
Circus Coming in September
Tessellations Silks Sequencing Workshop
Sunday, September 20th | 1.30PM – 4.30PM
Tessellations is a silks/fabric sequencing workshop hosted by Lisa Carley and Julie O’Connell Kent. The focus is on repeating, geometric motifs and interesting transitions. Come along to feel challenged and supported in your aerial silks practice, and discover new ways of moving through the fabric.
Tessellation: “A tessellation is a repeating pattern made up of one or more shapes”
July Circus Highlights
Cover Photo Details:
Taken At: Student Showcase, 2026
Artist(s): Circus Factory Students
Image Credits: David Hegarty
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