NICE Festival Chieri

Contemporary circus takes over Chieri

Every year, the NICE Festival transforms Chieri, a town in the province of Turin, into a vast open-air stage dedicated to contemporary circus. The event is conceived and organized by blucinQue Nice, one of the few National Production Centres for contemporary circus recognized by the Ministry of Culture, based in Piedmont and directed by Caterina Mochi Sismondi.

The festival was born from a desire to bring an artistic language still little-known in Italy out of theaters and into the daily life of the city: under the big top (Chapiteau), in squares, courtyards, and heritage sites. Acrobatics, aerial dance, juggling, physical theater, and live music blend into shows that speak to audiences of all ages.

An international program

Artistic director Paolo Stratta curates an edition that weaves together productions by the blucinQue company itself with the best of the national and international scene. Artists from numerous countries—from Uruguay to Spain, Brazil to Austria, Chile to France, and Argentina to Belgium—take the stage alongside Italian creations from the Accademia and Fondazione Cirko Vertigo.

In addition to evening shows, the NICE Festival pays great attention to younger audiences with matinées dedicated to schools and summer camps, social circus workshops, and opportunities to meet the artists. It is a festival designed as a shared experience, where the spectator is not just an observer but part of a community gathering around wonder.

Chieri, city of the circus

The choice of Chieri is no coincidence: the Piedmontese town has built a deep bond with contemporary circus over the years, hosting the training and production activities of blucinQue. Between Parco Robinson, where the big top is set up, and Piazza Cavour in the historic center, the festival has become a defining event for the community and a showcase for the entire Piedmont region.

Supported by the City of Chieri, the Piedmont Region, the Ministry of Culture, Fondazione CRT, and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, the NICE Festival has established itself as one of the most anticipated events in the cultural spring-summer calendar of the Turin metropolitan area.