From free community events and family friendly performances to circus workshops, the Vermont Circus Festival is for everybody! Families can enjoy the thrill of live circus shows. Recreational students can join in for fun and engaging learning experiences. Professional artists will have opportunities to teach, train, perform, and build community.

Festival Schedule:

Sunday, November 2, 2025

10am – 12pm: Circus Life Drawing (Aerial) with The Drawing Studio (register w/ The Drawing Studio) (Trapezium) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

10 – 11am: Silver Circus (free; register w/ AARP) (Trapezium) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

10 – 11am: Youth Circus Open Gym (free/register w/ NECCA) (Trapezium) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

11am – 12pm: Adult Circus Open Gym (free/register w/ NECCA) (trapezium) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

12:15 – 1:45pm: Sunday Fun Day (register w/NECCA) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

1 – 4pm: Clowns On Ice (Free / Nelson Withington Ice Rink @ Living Memorial Park) Nelson Withington Skating Facility, 61 Memorial Park Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

5 – 6:30pm: Festival Kick Off Soiree (free / 118 Elliot) 118 Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

12 – 5pm: Human Art of Play 3-day Teacher Training (register w/ The Human Connection Project) (118 Elliot) 118 Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

1:30 – 2pm: Clown Around Books: A circus book reading for kids at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

9am – 5pm: Human Art of Play 3-day Teacher Training (register w/ The Human Connection Project) at 118 Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

12 – 1pm: Silver Circus (free; register w/ AARP) (Trapezium) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

5:30 – 7:30pm: Circus Life Drawing (register w/ The Drawing Studio) at The Drawing Studio, 28 Williams St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

6 – 7:30pm: Book Discussion: Circles of Sawdust (free) w/ Rob Mermin/Karen E. Gersch at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

Thursday, November 6, 2025

9am – 5pm: Human Art of Play 3-day Teacher Training (register w/ The Human Connection Project) 118 Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

6 – 7:30pm: History Discussion: 200 Years of Circus in Vermont (free; w/ Rob Mermin) 118 Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

Friday, November 7, 2025

9 – 11am: Bell Beat Bonanza on Hoop/Lyra (Eliza Gaston) (Loft East)

9 – 11am: Intro to Cloud Swing (Bobby Hedglin) (SW/Stage right)

9 – 11am: Intro to Cyr Wheel (Zeb Galipeau) (NW/Stage)

9 – 11am: 
Intro to Teaching Silver Circus (Marissa Peck) (Cotton Mill)
(CM Area)-COTTON MILL Dreamspace Studio

9 – 11am: Intro to Teeterboard (Jon Roitman) (NorthEast/pit)

11am – 12pm: Brown Bag Lunch: Studio Owners Chat (Free) (Cotton Mill) 74 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro, VT 05301

12 – 2pm: Creative Pathways on Aerial Sling (Chelsea Barrett) (Loft East)

12 – 2pm: 
Intro to Beats on Vertical Apparatus (Stacey Strange) (Cotton Mill)
(CM Area)-COTTON MILL Dreamspace Studio

12 – 2pm: Intro to Russian Bar (Jon Roitman) (NorthEast/pit)

12 – 2pm: Intro to Swinging Cloud Swing (Elsie Smith) (NW/Stage Left)

12 – 2pm: Mastering the Art of Spinning - A Figure Skater's Guide (Cyara Hytopp) (SW/Stage right)

2:30 – 4:30pm: Advanced Handstand Foundations and Tricks (Fleeky Flanco) (SouthEast)

2:30 – 4:30pm: 
Circus Game - Ice Breakers & Community Building (Kristen Woods) (Cotton Mill)
(CM Area)-COTTON MILL Dreamspace Studio

2:30 – 4:30pm: Complex Drops for Aerial Fabric (Chelsea Barrett)(NorthEast/pit)

2:30 – 4:30pm: Intro to Aerial Rings (Sophie Kaufman) (Loft East)

2:30 – 4:30pm: Intro to Chinese Pole (Levi Helton) (Pole)

5 – 7pm: Circus Paintings by Karen E. Gersch @ First Friday (Free;118 Elliot) 118 Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

5 – 7pm: Clown Crawl (meet at Pliny Park) Pliny Park, High St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

6 – 7pm: Parallel Exit's I'll Take It (contemporary circus show)(Trapezium) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

9 – 10pm: Parallel Exit's I'll Take It (contemporary circus show)(Trapezium) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Saturday, November 8, 2025

8:30 – 9:15am: Gentle Warm-up (Trapezium)

8:30 – 9:15am: 
Invigorating Warm-up (Cotton Mill)
(CM Area)-COTTON MILL Dreamspace Studio

9:30 – 11:30am: Aerial Sling - Drops, Beats and Spin Pathways (Chelsea Barrett) (NorthEast/pit)

9:30 – 11:30am: Handstand Foundations (Fleeky Flanco) (SouthEast)

9:30 – 11:30am: Intro to Swinging Trapeze (Violet Defiant) (NW/Stage Left)

9:30 – 11:30am: Lassos for Rope (Sophie Kaufman) (Loft East)

9:30 – 11:30am: Mastering the Art of Spinning - A Figure Skater's Guide (Cyara Hytopp) (SW/Stage right)

9:30 – 11:30am:
Mime Techniques for Expressive Movers (Cotton Mill)
(CM Area)-COTTON MILL Dreamspace Studio

11:45am – 12:45pm: Brown Bag Lunch: Concussions & Brain Injuries (free) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

1 – 3pm: Fabric Lab - Applied Mechanics (Mykelle Walton) (Loft East)

1 – 3pm: Hoop/Lyra - Moving with Splits (Eliza Gaston)) (NorthEast/pit)

1 – 3pm: Intro to Cyr Wheel (Zeb Galipeau) (SW/Stage right)

1 – 3pm: Intro to Swinging Trapeze (Violet Defiant) (NW/Stage Left)

1 – 3pm: Intro to Tight Wire (Sophie Kaufman) (SouthEast)

1 – 3pm: 
The Art and Work of Juggling (Kyle Driggs) (Cotton Mill)
(CM Area)-COTTON MILL Dreamspace Studio

1 – 3pm: Tramp Wall - Foundations and Progressions (Ryan Shinji) (Tramp)

3:30 – 5:30pm: Hoop/Lyra - Rockin' Rolls (Maia Castro-Santos) (NorthEast/pit)

3:30 – 5:30pm: Intro to Aerial Pole (Emma Hoyle)) (Loft East)

3:30 – 5:30pm: 
Physical Acting / Physical Comedy (Mark Longergan) (Cotton Mill)
(CM Area)-COTTON MILL Dreamspace Studio

3:30 – 5:30pm: Sliding into Wire (Sophie Kaufman) (SouthEast)

3:30 – 5pm: A Brush with History: Art in Circus & Circus in Art (free; w/ Karen E. Gersch) (118 Elliot) 118 Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

5:30 – 7:30pm: Festival Social Gathering (118 Elliot) 118 Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

7:30 – 8:30pm: Alumni Cabaret (Trapezium) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

9 – 10pm: Alumni Cabaret (Trapezium) 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Sunday, November 9, 2025

Workshop Schedule:

8:30 - 9:15am: Morning Warmup

9:30 - 11:30am:
Hula Hoop: Multihooping
Maia Castro-Santos at Cotton Mill

Intro to Chinese Pole
Levi Helton

Intro to German Wheel
Zeb Galipeau

Chair balancing
Ryan Shinji

Intro to Bungee Hoop
Mykelle Walton

Silky Sequencing & Theory Teasers
Lily Rubin-Miller

12:30 - 2:30pm:

Chinese Pole: Next Steps
Levi Helton

Contortion: Next Steps
Naomi Eddy at Cotton Mill

Flying Trapeze: Learn to Fly
NECCA Fly Staff

Power Beats for Dynamic Trapeze
Violet Defiant

Expect the Unexpected - Aerial Exploration
Lily Rubin-Miller

3:00 - 5:00pm:
Intro to Burlesque
Francesca Bourgault at Cotton Mill

Flying Trapeze - Make that Catch
NECCA Fly Staff

Intro to Aerial Pole
Emma Hoyle

Open Training!
At the Trapezium

Community Events & Performances:

11:30 - 12:30pm
SilverCircus Class
Register via AARP at The Trapezium

3:00 - 4:30pm
Roundatble Discussion:
Directing for Circus
With Mark Lonergan at Trapezium (Church)

5:00 - 6:30pm
LGBTQ+ Meetup
Hosted by Kristen Woods at The Marina

7:00pm Beta Night
Evening Performance at Trapezium

Fest Date: November 2 - 9, 2025

Locations: 
Trapezium, 10 Town Crier Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301
Nelson Withington Skating Facility, 61 Memorial Park Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301
Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301
Cotton Mill, 74 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro, VT 05301
118 Elliot, 118 Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Click here for more information.