Nice is preparing to embrace its more playful side this September as Clown Power returns to Le 109 for three days of clowning, circus, burlesque, music and film.
Running from 25 to 27 September 2026, the sixth edition of the festival brings together professional performers and companies for a programme designed to show that contemporary clowning extends far beyond red noses and slapstick.
Created and organised by Compagnie Gorgomar, Clown Power has developed into an accessible, family-friendly celebration of the clown in all its forms. This year’s programme features ten shows, a fanfare, three film screenings, concerts, circus workshops, poetry and activities for children.
Opening night at Le 109
The festival gets underway on Friday evening with L’élégance et la beauté, a solo performance by Jackie Star and Compagnie at 8pm.
Courtesy Panda Events
The opening night then moves to Frigo 16, in association with Panda Events, bringing together Djé Balèti and Gigi de Nissa for a veritable melting pot of cultures. Between the rock-Occitan energy of one and the poetic, Brazilian-influenced Niçois dialect of the other, let yourself be carried away by music that is deeply rooted, vibrant, and resolutely geared towards celebration. Admission to the event is free but you must reserve your place.
Clowning takes centre stage
Saturday sees Clown Power move into full swing across the different spaces of Le 109.
Among the afternoon highlights is Frigo [opus 2] from Compagnie Dis Bonjour à la Dame, a minimalist clown performance built around physical comedy and carefully timed silences.
Courtesy Festival Clown Power
Compagnie Le Bazar Savant introduces audiences to Le Saâdikh, a supposedly great international fakir whose impressive demonstration does not necessarily go according to plan.
There is also a distinctly Niçois contribution from artist Thierry Lagalla, the festival’s guest of honour, who presents La morale de la tarte à la crème in a series of short 15-minute performances throughout Saturday and Sunday.
The Musique des Sapeurs-Pompiers de la Ville de Nice joins the proceedings on Saturday afternoon with a free fanfare performance, before the evening turns to L’amicale des cérébrées. Featuring three clowns from Compagnie Futilité Publique and Rosie Volt, the show attempts to provide some decidedly unconventional answers to life’s more complicated questions.
Circus, cinema and plenty for families
Clown Power is not simply about watching performances.
Parents and children aged five and over can take part in circus initiation workshops with Les Uto’pistes on Saturday and Sunday mornings, while games and other activities will be available throughout the weekend.
Poet and performer Tristan Blumel will also bring La Fabricoétique to the garden at Le 109, inviting visitors to take part in the creation of their own poetry.
Video via Vidéos Annonces on YouTube
Cinema forms another strand of the festival. Saturday evening features an open-air screening of Pierre Étaix’s 1965 film Yoyo, the story of a young man who becomes a celebrated clown before attempting to restore his father’s grand home.
On Sunday, a programme of short films traces the evolution of clowning on screen, from the pioneering animated character Koko the Clown to more contemporary works. The screenings form part of Nice’s wider L’Automne de l’Image, which runs from September to November across the city.
A final dose of Clown Power
Sunday brings another full programme, including C’est gratos, a humorous and poetic production from Collectif Scratch about the relationship between a man and a rather unusual dog.
Compagnie Le Bazar Savant returns with Tout doit disparaître!, featuring the wandering Monsieur Pif, before the festival heads towards its conclusion with Catharsis – Libération, purgation, défoulation.
Performed by musicians Audrey Castagné and Noémie Capron, Catharsis begins as an apparently polished concert before gradually descending into a mixture of music, clowning and controlled chaos.
Courtesy Festival Clown Power
Above all, Clown Power remains deliberately accessible. Admission to the festival and its performances is free, although some activities require advance reservations and the parent-child circus workshops cost €6 per person.
For three days at Le 109, audiences can expect a rather different side of Nice’s cultural calendar — irreverent, unpredictable and firmly committed to the simple pleasure of making people laugh.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Event: Clown Power 2026
Dates: 25–27 September 2026
Location: Le 109 – Pôle de Cultures Contemporaines
Festival admission: Free | Some workshops and activities require advance booking
While admission to the festival is free for the most part, the organisers would appreciate the public’s support by way of volunteers offering their time, buying merchandise on site, or by making a donation to support the running of the festival.
VENUE DETAILS
Le 109 – Pôle de Cultures Contemporaines
89 Route de Turin
06300 Nice
Tel: +33 (0)4 97 13 32 56
PHOTO CREDITS
- Lead image by James Lee on Unsplash, licenced under the Unsplash License
- All other images and videos as credited
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