HarbourKIDS: The Toronto International Circus Festival co-produced by Zero Gravity Circus

Take a flying leap into the world of circus

TORONTO, ON (April 24, 2014) – Harbourfront Centre takes another flying leap into the world of circus. Maybe it’s the magic in the air, or the roar of the crowd, but resistance is low when it comes to the unadulterated allure of HarbourKIDS: The Toronto International Circus Festival, co-produced with Zero Gravity Circus.

As the official launch of Harbourfront Centre’s Summer 2014 season, HarbourKIDS blasts its willing audiences into orbit on Victoria Day Weekend, May 17-19. Three days of magical magicians, astounding acrobats, hilarious clowns and brazen buskers – and it’s all FREE! 

For more fun, inspiration and creativity than you could ever find in a barrel full of monkeys, HarbourKIDS: The Toronto International Circus Festival serves up three days of human dynamism, eye-popping contortionists, and artful athleticism. Be amazed by Zero Gravity Circus’ Bollywood spectacle, transform at the Clownification Station, and just try to stifle your laughter watching Cinderfella.

Move and groove with the Hula Hoop Tryouts, try soaring and bouncing in a Natrel Tumble N’ Swing workshop, befriend a stilt walker, and take a walk on the on the ‘wow’ side of Magic Boulevard. You can do anything your rich imagination desires at HarbourKIDS: The Toronto International Circus Festival because it has all been designed with your enjoyment in mind.

As you’re catching your breath between shows and workshops, visit the West Arcade to create circus-inspired arts & crafts, curated by longtime crafter, Mary Breen.

Kids are the first to say that running away to join the Circus is more exciting than anything else they’ll ever do. They’ve told us so, and how to make it grow, and so it gets bigger and better every year. HarbourKIDS: The Toronto International Circus Festival is for kids of all ages – a giant ice cream sundae of contemporary arts and culture, served up with large dollops of can-do’ism. Grab the family. Hitch a ride. Just get here for the time of your life.

For additional information and complete event listings, the public may visit harbourfrontcentre.com or call the Information Hotline at 416-973-4000. Harbourfront Centre is located at 235 Queens Quay West in the heart of downtown Toronto’s waterfront.

Zero Gravity Circus Bollywood
Daily, 11:00am – 4:15pm, WestJet Stage
Bollywood, without gravity! This lively and glamorous spectacle will delight and amaze you – shake your bangles with Zero Gravity Circus! Featuring a blend of classical, folk, Indian and Western dance styles and performed to modern Hindi “filmi” music, this colourful show is rooted in drama, dance, acrobatics and love.

Sweet Variety of Circus
Daily, 11:00am – 5:00pm, Redpath Stage
A confection of exceptional circus variety acts! Showcasing stupendous jugglers, knee-slapping interactive comedians, playful clowns and many surprising performers with unusual skills!

You Gonna Eat That?
A Harbourfront Centre Commission
May 17-18, 1:00pm & 3:00pm, Brigantine Room
A fast-paced comedic cooking show about slow food. You Gonna Eat That? makes cooking fun, safe and easy. The show takes audiences from dirt-to-plate and lets them know how real food is grown, what to do with it once you get it and how it tastes. It’s an adventure that shows how the world can be discovered through cooking.

KinderCirque
Daily, 11:00am – 5:00pm, Lakeside Terrace
Kids from 2-5 years old take centre stage at the circus "little top," where they can try floor acrobatics, mini-trampoline, aerial trapeze, silks, rope and more!

When Pigs Fly...Into Alien Spaceships
A Harbourfront Centre Commission
May 17, 2:30pm & 4:00pm, May 18, 11:30am, May 19, 2:30pm & 4:00pm, Studio Theatre
Meet Astronaut Pig Hadfield. Pig Hadfield has dedicated years of study and work in the field of astr’oink’onomy, answering one of life’s deepest questions: “When will pigs really fly?”

Natrel Tumble N’Swing Zone
Daily, 11:00am – 4:30pm, Zone 5
Tumbling, juggling, spinning in the aerial hoop! Kids ages 5-14 can try out aerial, acrobatic and circus activities right in the middle of the action with The Circus Academy Training Studios.

Balloon Genius
Daily, 11:00am – 4:30pm, Zone 3, York Quay Centre
Check out the zany balloon sculptures from Zero Gravity Circus!

Hula Hoop Tryouts
Daily, 11:00am – 5:00pm, Zone 3, York Quay Centre
Participants learn to move, groove and manipulate this classic plaything under the guidance of upbeat Hula Hooping professionals. Come and play, anyone can do it!

Let’s Talk Science
Daily, 11:00am – 5:00pm, West Arcade, York Quay Centre
Discover the science of circus with Let's Talk Science!

The Circus Academy
Daily, 1:15pm – 2:00pm, WestJet Stage
Last year, this exciting young company brought you their take on Alice in Wonderland. This year, they invite you to meet the colourful characters inside their Toy Box. Come and watch the Circus Academy kids’ performance troupe show what they can do!

Human Gyroscopes
May 18 and 19, 11:00am – 4:30pm, Ontario Square
Learn what it feels like to be an aerialist or astronaut flying, tumbling and twisting in space with this NASA-designed human gyroscope. (Note: riders have to be at least 4’8” and no more than 200 pounds).

Clownification Station
Daily, 11:00am - 4:30pm, Zone 3, York Quay Centre
Get your face painted by our highly trained wizards of clown makeup, then get a short lesson in clowning from the world’s most esteemed masters of clown!

Circus Crafts
Daily, 11:00am – 5:00pm, West Arcade and York Quay Centre
Our very own Crafts Curator, Mary Breen, has searched high and low for the best, most circus-y crafts she can find - and YOU can make them yourself!

Zacada Circus
Daily, 11:30am –12:15pm, WestJet Stage
Zacada Circus showcases elements of contortion, aerial silks, trapeze, aerial hoop and juggling in this not-to-be-missed performance!

Nursing Lounge
Sponsored by EvyMama
Daily, 11:00am – 5:00pm, Studio Lab 2
Away from the hustle and bustle the crowds, the clowns and the crafts, a quiet sanctuary for nursing mothers and their wee ones.

Roving Animation
Daily, 11:00am – 5:00pm, Harbourfront Centre Site
Meet towering stilt people, clueless clowns, a wandering minstrel, a life-sized wind-up doll, an organ grinder – even a lion tamer!

Cinderfella
May 17, 11:30am, May 18, 2:30pm & 4:00pm, May 19, 11:30am, Studio Theatre
When his mother dies, Cinderfella becomes a helpless servant to his wicked stepmother and her two horrible sons. But his determination to stay positive in the face of misery ensures that his greatest dreams will come true.

LEGO Room
Daily, 11:00am – 5:00pm, Marilyn Brewer Community Space
Visit the three-ring circus of your imagination and create something amazing in our Lego Room.

Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre - Anomykz Preview
Daily, 1:00 – 1:15pm & 4:00 – 4:15pm, WestJet Stage
Catch a sneak peek of street dance artist Ofilio Sinbadinho Portillo’s new work, premiering at NextSteps, May 30-31. Ofilio was last seen at HarbourKIDS Skating Festival in February, workshopping Anomykz as well as leading street dance workshops for kids aged 5-12.

Magic Boulevard - Rob Testa
Daily, 12:00pm & 2:00pm, Zone 6
Is it a trick? It’s magic! Experience the mystifying world of ace magician Rob Testa! Kids and parents alike will be confounded and spellbound by the impossibility of Rob Testa's mind-boggling array of talents.

Magic Boulevard – Mysterion
Daily, 1:00pm & 3:00pm, Zone 6
Welcome to the weird world of amazing mentalist Mysterion! This hilarious show is a fast-paced visual extravaganza of expertly interlaced comedy, mind-reading and sleight of hand tailored for a family audience.

HarbourKIDS Express
Daily, 11:00am – 5:00pm, Exhibition Common
All aboard the HarbourKIDS Express! Take a tour of the festival site and maybe catch a glimpse of a few zany characters along the way.

Music with Bite: Mozart's Flights of Fancy
May 19, 1:00pm, Brigantine Room
Recently back from a triumphant tour of Europe, child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his big sister, find themselves home alone for an hour of... free time! Over the moon about being able to run around and have fun without parental supervision, Wolfgang invents various fantasy scenarios while his sister tries everything to bring him back down to earth.

Canoe and Paddleboat Rides
Daily, 10:00am – 6:00pm, Natrel Pond
Take a break from the action and enjoy a fun float on the Natrel® Pond, located beside the picturesque Harbourfront Centre boardwalk.

ABOUT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE
Harbourfront Centre is a Canadian charity operating the 10 prime acres of Toronto’s central waterfront as a free and open public site. We celebrate the multiplicities of cultures that comprise Canada and enliven the city through the creative imaginations of artists from across the country and around the globe. 
                                                                           -30-