Acrobats, jugglers and knife-throwers are just some of the acts converging on Temple Bar this week for Circus Season. The event opened yesterday and will run until next Sunday evening.
Circus Season is organised in association with Dublin City Council as part of the Diversions summer festival, celebrating 15 years of Temple Bar as Dublin's cultural quarter.
Twelve outdoor performances take place from lunchtime each day, and are divided up between Temple Bar Square, Cow's Lane, Wolfe Tone Park and Meeting House Square.
The international line-up includes Belgian acrobat, Joplada!, who performs with a car as his stage; British group jugglers Gandini Juggling and the Brazilian, power-tumbling, stunt acrobats, De Ramos, among others. Circus Season culminates with the "One Day Circus Carnival" on Sunday. From noon, giant circus characters designed by Irish festival favourites Buí Bolg will weave their way down Cow's Lane. They will be joined later in the afternoon by flamingo-riding elves, Incadesence.
Britain's Incredible Bull Circus will take over Wolfe Tone Park at lunchtime, where two matadors will perform with a herd of miniature bulls. Other highlights include, Tanzanian acrobats, Black Eagles and their "high-impact" dance routines.
The last performances start at 5.30pm.
All Circus Season performances are free, but evening performances are ticketed. Programmes and tickets are available from the Temple Bar Cultural Information Centre, 12 East Essex Street, Temple Bar.