In the end, nearly every performance at every venue was “sold out.” With approximately 11,300 attendees, more people than ever before have visited the Karlsruhe Festival for Contemporary Circus and been captivated by such a diverse range of styles and approaches within this young genre, which has grown significantly in Germany over the past decade. Over the course of eleven performance days, 46 shows from 25 different productions were presented, ranging from Julian Vogel’s masterfully crafted one-man project “Ceramic Circus” to the large-scale circus ballet by the Moroccan Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger, which alone drew over 2,000 people to the festival’s opening. Overall, this year’s festival impressed with its great diversity within an art form that frequently addresses current social issues.

Following the opening weekend, the ATOLL Festival filled its two days without performances at the TOLLHAUS with two shows by the company “!UKBUM!” at the ZKM Media Theater. Jef Everaert & Marica Marinoni left a stunning impression with their Cyr duo “In Difference,” and the group MovedByMatter also created extraordinary imagery with their a cappella singing and their homage to the mystics of past centuries, which drew on the artistic tradition of the Zopfhang.

Well over 3,000 people attended the various free performances and hands-on activities at the ATOLL Children’s and Family Day, which took place this year under clear skies, primarily around the TOLLHAUS and in Otto -Dullenkopf Park, where the outstanding high-wire artist La Corcoles kicked off this year’s focus on the guest region of Catalonia, which took place primarily during the festival’s second week.

“The absolutely ideal weather certainly contributed greatly to our positive results this year,” said Bernd Belschner, one of the two artistic directors of the ATOLL Festival, who also pointed out that, given the current economic conditions, further growth of the festival seems virtually impossible at this time. He expressed his gratitude for the private support provided by organizations such as the Sparda Bank Foundation, the local daily newspaper *Badische Neueste Nachrichten*, and smaller partners, noting that this support has been instrumental in bringing many of the presented productions to a German stage for the first time.

The MERIDIAN(s) Catalonia–Germany program, organized by the Catalan Circus Association (APCC), came to a close at the 2026 ATOLL Festival in Karlsruhe with the world premiere of the play “Secrets” by the circus company “eia” and a series of other guest performances from Catalonia. Since January 2026, the program had been promoting the visibility of the Catalan circus in Germany. “Our goal was to leave our mark,” said Ute Classen, who oversaw MERIDIAN(s) on the German side. The Ramon Llull Institute, in particular, supported the Catalan focus at ATOLL.

During the second week of ATOLL, the British NoFit State Circus delighted its audience with its impressive and breathtaking climbing acrobatics on bamboo poles, as did the more meditative flow of movement by the internationally diverse trio Knot on Hands. Circus visionary Claudio Stellato sparked discussions with his circus piece simply titled “People,” which brought to life on stage the eerie beauty of human misery, as well as the power of ingenuity, resilience, and the gentle eccentricity of those who live on the streets.

Once again this year, the ATOLL Festival served as a meeting place for national and international circus professionals, who came here not only to exchange expertise but also to gather inspiration for their programming. The “Work in Progress” performances by the German creative program Zirkus ON offered fascinating glimpses behind the scenes of the circus world; this year’s high-quality shows drew exceptionally large crowds.