| Seoul City will present free circus shows at Oil Tank Culture Park in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, throughout May starting from Saturday. / Courtesy of Oil Tank Culture Park |
By Kim Jae-heun
Seoul City will present free circus shows at Oil Tank Culture Park in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, throughout May starting from Saturday.
This is the second time for the city government to offer the event and it is the country's only circus festival.
The first session of the month-long event, “Seoul Circus Festival: Circus Cabaret,” will run for three days from this Saturday to Monday.
Twenty-five local and foreign teams will perform various types of circus acts in a 9-meter-high tent set up there. The tent can hold an audience of up to 300, with a stage 8 meters in diameter.
Two teams from France and one each from Belgium and Taiwan are making their Korea debuts while local teams will provide performances showing the history of Korean circus, including shows by the 94-year-old circus troupe Dongchun Circus.
After Circus Cabaret, performances will continue on Saturdays and Sundays until the end of May.
Four of the shows have an age limit, and eight shows to be held at indoor facilities at the park require booking due to limited space. Reservations for the eight shows should be made before 6 p.m. on Friday at booking.naver.com/booking/12/bizes/185985. Other shows do not need reservations and people can take seats on a first-come-first-served basis.
All shows are free of charge.