Ithaca, NY - The third annual Hupstate Circus Festival, the brainchild of Circus Culture Founder Amy Cohen, will bring dozens of circus artists to Ithaca from all over the world from Sept 1st-4th 2023 to perform in multiple shows over Labor day weekend. The Hupstate producing team is currently seeking indoor and outdoor shows for the 2023 Hupstate Circus Festival. Artists and groups are invited to apply at hupstatecircus.org by April 15th. 

The 2022 Hupstate Festival dazzled hundreds of audience members with over a dozen unique performances. Shows include both free and ticketed; indoor and outdoor; and geared towards all ages, and adult only offerings. Applications may be works in progress that are ready for an audience, or complete and polished. 

Guaranteed stipends will be provided based on the submission (ticket sales will not determine your stipend) and will range from $250 - $5000 depending on factors such as number of artists involved, technical needs, length of show/act, venue, etc.  

The festival provides all artists with a festival pass to see other shows, housing (provided at a local b&b 25 min outside of town), studio time at Circus Culture for training and connection, professional video of the performance, and standard mileage for car travel related to the festival and/or bus or train tickets to and from Ithaca for artists and technicians. 

Inspired by many international circus festivals, Hupstate has a vision to continually expand the notion of what circus is and can be, and to provide myriad ways for our community to experience circus as an art form. Hupstate is a portmanteau of Hup, the universal word for “go” in the circus world, and upstate, where this festival is proud to be held. Hupstate Festival, along with a spring artist residency of the same name, is a program of Circus Culture and is slowly working to expand the ways it can support the circus arts in NY State. 

Important Dates

Deadline: April 15, 2023

Artists notified of acceptance by June 1, 2023

Festival performance: September 1-4, 2023

Information and Contact

Application and full information can be found at Hupstatecircus.org

Contact: info@hupstatecircus.org

Social media: instagram.com/hupstatecircus