Join our

Circus Community

We hold free weekly circus sessions, community events & projects.

FIND OUT MORE

Come along for free – no booking required.

Keep posted on sessions & timings on our social media.

Free Community Sessions

We offer the benefits of social circus to our community by running regular events – these are free for everyone.

These drop-in sessions are open to anyone looking to learn new skills, meet people and have fun!

Come along for free – no booking required.

2024 dates to be announced soon.

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Circus Community Jam (14+)

Thursday evenings 5 – 8pm

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Open Teenagers Circus Workshops (teens)

Friday afternoons 3.30 – 5pm

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Open Community Circus Sessions (families)

Sundays 3-5pm

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Open Community Circus Sessions (adults)

Sundays 5-8pm

The story of CLOUD NINE – Edinburgh’s Pop Up Circus

We offered free circus sessions to over 2400 people over the last year.

In early 2022, we were invited to join The Wee Hub in a community takeover of the old Debenhams unit at Ocean Terminal – creating a temporary home for circus in Leith.

We turned this old abandoned unit in a shopping centre into a thriving home for community circus. Thank you to Ocean Terminal for their kind donation of a venue and to our friends at THELMA who co-ordinate this shared space and made this all possible.

How we used the space:

Alongside our weekly community sessions, we hosted:

  • Cabaret showcases featuring members of our youth circus, professional performers and new/emerging artists
  • Community projects and artistic collaborations
  • Free to use rehearsal space for dance, theatre and circus artists
  • Regular classes and events

Looking to

collaborate?

Do you have a project you want to pitch us?

We love getting involved with other community interest companies and making exciting ideas happen. Get in touch!

GOT SOME QUESTIONS?

What is Cloud Nine?

Cloud Nine is the name of our pop-up Circus Club. Most recently Cloud Nine was resident in Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre, where we brought the magic, creativity and playfulness of circus to people in Leith for 20 months, including:

  • Free monthly shows and weekly workshops for families, teenagers and adults
  • A place for everyone in our community to discover and participate in social circus, to improve health, wellbeing and to make new connections
  • A place for circus artists to practice, collaborate, and create new work
What is Social Circus?

Social circus is an established model used all over the world. In practice it means friendly, community-based classes teaching easy, accessible skills like juggling, hula hoop, balancing and spinning. Social circus has been proven to have positive effects on physical literacy, overcoming fear of failure and resilience. See the Research.

We provide a space for community circus to thrive.

We also provide training space for established circus artists in our community to help them level up and create new work. If you’re interested contact us at hi@thinkcircus.co.uk.

How can I donate to help keep this space running?

We appreciate every penny that has helped us provide free, weekly circus sessions for the past year. You can still donate to our crowdfunder here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/cloudnine 

What will happen next?
At some point in the next few months, developers will knock down the building to turn it into housing. But don’t worry, we have a plan to continue Cloud Nine as a Pop-Up Circus, appearing wherever people need more playfulness and fun – that’s probably everywhere! In all seriousness, this project has helped us to prove what is possible with a large dedicated space, supporting the future of circus in Edinburgh.
How can I get involved with more circus in Edinburgh?

We have lots of circus friends all over Edinburgh. If you love our community sessions, circus classes and want to find out more about circus, explore circus venues in our area.

Check out our circus map of Edinburgh.