The Montreal Clown Festival Celebrates its 9th Edition with an International Lineup Sharing Laughter & Humanity | APRIL 10–18, 2026

 

The Montreal Clown Festival Celebrates its 9th Edition with an International Lineup Sharing Laughter and Humanity APRIL 10–18, 2026 8 Days of Performances, Workshops, Discussions, and more, that Explore Contemporary Clowning, Physical Theatre, and Absurd Comedy, for Audiences of All Ages! Link  The Montreal Clown Festival returns from April 10 to 18, 2026 with a vibrant program of performances, discussions, and events celebrating the art of clown. Featuring over 50 artists from Montreal and beyond, the festival highlights the powerful role of clowning in connecting audiences through laughter, vulnerability, and physical storytelling. Now entering its 9th edition, this year’s program features a diverse lineup of performances exploring contemporary clown, physical theatre, and absurd comedy. Spanning 7 venues, the 8-day festival has something for everyone, from 18+ performances in select Casa del Popolo venues, free shows at the Maison de la Culture Claude-Léveillée, and family-friendly programming, to the signature Opening Night Cabaret at the Gesù that kicks off the festivities in a bold, brilliant, and delightfully ridiculous fashion! “In politically tumultuous times, clowning gives us permission to confront the fears we carry inside — not through debate, but through the deeply human language of play,” says Vanessa Rigaux, Artistic & General Director of the Montreal Clown Festival. “By bringing together artists from Zagreb, Tokyo, Philadelphia, Quebec City, and Montreal, this year’s festival celebrates how laughter can cross borders and create connection when words fail.” The 9th edition of the Montreal Clown Festival opens on April 10, 2026 with its Gala Cabaret at the Gesù, directed by Joe De Paul, bringing together an eclectic group of performers including Mariko Iwasa (Japan), Marijana Matokovic(Croatia), Acrobatic duo DOOP – Danielle Saulnier & Kellin Hentoff-Killian (USA/Canada), Krin Haglund (Canada), the Growlers Choir (Canada),  with MC’s clown-musical duo Jan Dutler & Benjamin Tremblay Carpentier, and more. Beyond performances, the festival also hosts a Clownférence, a day of discussions, workshops, and playful exploration bringing together artists, academics, and the clown-curious to explore the role of clown in contemporary culture—in partnership with the Dr. Clown Foundation. The theme this year is Joy as an Act of Resistance, Resilience, and Rebellion, featuring Cirque du Soleil director, Stefan Haves (The Power of Ha!) and a panel on contemporary Bouffons, among other whimsical activities. Additional festival favourites include La Soirée du Grand Imbécile, a beloved late-night talent show celebrating wild and eclectic creativity. MC Vanessa Kneale will work with guest judges from Montreal’s circus and theatre milieu to crown the Greatest Fool of the Night. Performances take place across several venues in Montreal, including Gesù, La Sala Rossa, La Sotterenea, Le MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises, Maison de la Culture Claude-Léveillée, and La Toscadura. The Montreal Clown Festival invites audiences of all ages to experience the joy, absurdity, and humanity of clown through performances that celebrate laughter, play, and connection. 2026 FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS ✦ Dirt Trip by acclaimed Philadelphia-based performer Alex Tatarsky ✦ In a self-described Clown Lecture, Tatarsky plays a court jester who desires to be a rotting vegetable, makes a connection between the origins of the clown and peasantry, and presents a lecture that decays into a hot mess of actual compost. With visceral physicality, wild costumes, and razor-sharp absurdity, Tatarsky blurs the line between the grotesque and the poetic. Acclaimed at MoMA PS1, Dirt Trip is a hilarious and unsettling meditation on what society discards — trash, the poor, clowns, compost — and our shared fear of decay. ✦ Colonial Circus by Two2Mango (Shreya Parashar & Sachin Sharma) ✦ In this immersive comedy, Shreya Parashar & Sachin Sharma pose as British colonizers and guide audiences through the history of colonialism. In true bouffon style, Parashar & Sharma lead us on a wildly irreverent ride that may leave audiences asking, “Did I just laugh at that?” ✦ The darkly comic Creepy Boys by Sam Kruger and S.E. Grummett ✦ In this horror-tinged comedy, audiences are invited to the thirteenth birthday party of two deeply unsettling twin boys. Through party games, dances, and increasingly chaotic rituals, the celebration spirals into a wild spectacle that playfully interrogates millennial nostalgia. Blending comedy, theatre, and queer absurdity, the duo embrace the spirit of clown—delighting in work that never quite fits the box. ✦ Madame vous déteste by Montreal collective Les Talons Fous ✦ Inspired by Genet’s The Maids, this show follows two clowns, Claire Le Sphincter and Solange La Fange, caught in a grotesque ballet of shifting power, where dominance and submission constantly reverse under the watchful eye of Madame. Co-directed and performed by queer Abitibian artist Mikaël Morin and interdisciplinary German-Canadian artist Luca Max, the performers bring pole dance, bouffon, and physical theatre to a darkly comic exploration of identity, desire, and control. ✦ En Attendant Oedipe by Montrealer François Blouin ✦ Straddling the line between a mythology lecture and a dramatic performance, this tragicomic solo show is as entertaining for its clownish bursts as it is tragic in its portrayals of the King of Thebes (performed en joual) as he confronts his fate. There will be improvisation, acting, mime, and clowning, of course. The performance runs approximately one hour and fifteen minutes, according to the will of the “gods.” ✦ The Children’s show Les Billy-Croquettes by Josette Lépine ✦ Solo show by one half of the twin duo Les Soeurs Kif-Kif, Les Billy-Croquettes is a small circus fanfare featuring an accordionist and her mechanical animals. Little by little, her toys gain autonomy. Who is in charge? Who is in control? Physical theatre, humour, and puppetry come together in this story of lively music and disobedient machines ✦ The mischievous Les p’tites polisses en servisse by Quebec City duo Dominique Grenier & Marie-Michèle Pharand ✦ Dominique Grenier and Marie-Michèle Pharand first met in 2014 on TerZettto by L’Aubergine, directed by Christine Rossignol and Michel Dallaire. Their chemistry was instant. One a comedian, the other a circus artist, they meet in the language of clown, combining humour and passion. Les p’tites polisses en servisse blends floor acrobatics, hand-to-hand work, vocal music, and clowning. The complete 2026 program is available at www.mtlclownfest.com/program-2026   2026 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE ✦ April 10 – Opening Night Gala Cabaret @ Gesù ✦ April 11 – Les p’tites polisses en servisse @ Maison de la Culture Claude-Léveillée ✦ April 11 – Colonial Circus @ Espace La Risée ✦ April 12 – Clownférence @ Gesù (Espace Custeau) ✦ April 13 & 14 – Seeing and Being Seen (Workshop with Catherine Cédilot) @ La Porte Rouge ✦ April 14 – Creepy Boys @ La Sala Rossa ✦ April 15 – Madame vous déteste @ La Sotterenea ✦ April 16 – En Attendant Œdipe @ Maison de la Culture Claude-Léveillée ✦ April 16 & 17 – Invited Clown Auditions (with Cirque du Soleil) ✦ April 17 – Soirée du Grand Imbécile @ La Toscadura ✦ April 18 – Les Billy-Croquettes @ MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises ✦ April 18 – Dirt Trip @ MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises ✦ April 19 & 20 – Clown Rot (Workshop with Alex Tatarsky) in collaboration with Zani Clown School @ La Porte Rouge www.mtlclownfest.com   ABOUT THE MONTREAL CLOWN FESTIVAL The Montreal Clown Festival, produced by MTL Clowns, advances the craft of clown by nurturing artists, celebrating its history, and fostering a vibrant clown community in Montreal and beyond, while presenting performances that celebrate laughter, play, and human connection.