MONTREAL -- Like most of the other festivals that typically take place at the beginning of the summer in Montreal, TOHU announced Tuesday that it is cancelling Montreal Complètement cirque, the circus festival which was set to be held from July 2 to 12.
TOHU’s director-general and head of programming Stéphane Lavoie said in a statement that his team had tried, along with the artists and partners, to consider 'all the scenarios' to postpone the festival to the fall.
“However, hundreds of hours of rehearsal are necessary for the artists to be able to offer surprising performances, which is currently impossible,” he said.
The Just for Laughs Festival, which was to take place just after the circus festival announced last week that it would postpone its activities to the fall.
In addition to Complètement cirque, an Quebec-international circus market had been planned for July 6 to 9, bringing together more than 300 participants from Montreal and abroad. The TOHU and market team are developing a digital platform to allow circus artists to present their new creations, the group said.
Other major Montreal summer events, which typically attract dense crowds, have already been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic: the Tour de l'Île and the Go vélo festival, the FrancoFolies as well as the International Jazz Festival and the Fringe Festival.
It was also announced Tuesday that the Formula 1 Montreal Grand Prix, slated to take place June 12 to 14, will be cancelled. It is so far unclear if the Rogers Cup tennis tournament, scheduled for Aug. 7 to 16, will go on as planned.
