Circo Park

Circus in your neighborhood, inside a local park

Circo Park is a widespread festival of circus arts, theater, and environmental sustainability held at Parco delle Valli, in the Montesacro district (Municipality III) of Rome, in the heart of the Lazio region. Launched in 2023, the event transforms a local green space into an open-air stage for several weekends: performances are not concentrated in one spot but are spread along the cycling and walking path that crosses the park, in multiple stations that the public reaches by strolling.

The event is conceived and curated by the Scuola Romana di Circo, an association active in the area since 2006 and supported by the Ministry of Culture through the FUS. The project is promoted by Roma Capitale – Department of Culture and was a winner of the Roma Creativa 365 public call.

Shows, workshops, and concerts

The program alternates between performances and participatory activities. Over the years, the show lineup has featured juggling and acrobatics, clown performances, non-verbal shows suitable for all ages, and live concerts to close the days. The workshops, which are free and open to all, are the true hallmark of the festival:

• IO CIRCO – an introduction to circus disciplines for children and teenagers, including juggling, balancing, and basic acrobatics;
• IO PEDALO – basic bicycle maintenance and sustainable urban mobility;
• Street Art – collective creation of a mural, often focusing on themes of inclusion and the future;
• Cartoni Animali / papier-mâché – building sculptures using recycled materials;
• Circoteca Clic – an interactive installation and reading workshop.

A festival that generates its own energy

The most original feature of Circo Park is its ecological dimension, which goes beyond mere slogans. Part of the electricity required for the shows is generated by the audience itself thanks to a pedal-powered artistic and technological installation, developed with the musical group Tetes de Bois: those who pedal power the sound system and lights. The public is also encouraged to bring their own water bottles to reduce single-use plastic. Talks and themed walks complete the picture, along with an artistic residency that leads to the co-creation of an interdisciplinary work.

The editions

The first edition was held in December 2023 as part of the Culture in Movimento program; the second returned between late November and early December 2024. In 2025, the festival moved to September, with four days of programming at Parco delle Valli and a preview hosted in a local dance studio. This calendar shift allowed organizers to take advantage of the still long and mild days of early Roman autumn.

Why it's worth visiting

Circo Park is not a massive international festival: it is a neighborhood project, and that is precisely its value. Parco delle Valli is part of the Aniene Valley Nature Reserve, a green corridor little known even to Romans, and the festival is the perfect opportunity to discover it. The completely free access, the intergenerational format, and the human scale of the event make it one of the most family-friendly cultural offerings in the capital, far from the crowds of the historic center.