Source : Perth Now news
Fiji’s first and only professional circus is touring Australia, with acrobatics, aerials, and perhaps the strangest skill of all – hair hanging.
The Fijian Flying Circus was created by renowned Pacific dance company VOU, which has toured to more than 35 countries.
Its four-city Australian tour started with a sold-out run in Darwin, and it’s currently showing at the South Bank Piazza as part of the Brisbane Festival, before heading to Melbourne and Sydney later in 2026.
Money from ticket sales goes towards the Conservatorium of Dance in Nadi, which provides 20 Fijians each year with fully-funded two year performing arts diplomas.
Graduates go on to become full time artists with VOU, which has grown to become a showcase of Fijian performance globally.
The Fijian Flying Circus performs in the round under a traditional big top, the story of a girl named Loma, who stumbles into a mystical forest where spirit forces live in harmony with their tropical environment.
But perhaps more than the story, it’s a showcase of breathtaking circus skills, inventive drumming, and well-crafted dance.
Hours ahead of the Riverfire event Saturday night, people have set up chairs and picnic rugs along the banks of the Brisbane River, in an effort to secure the best viewing spot.
Six barges of fireworks have been set up along the river, while a military flyover drew crowds for its practice run on Friday.
Strike action has affected the city’s ferry services throughout Saturday, with no ferries operating until 4am Sunday.
Buses will be made available to allow for an extra 36,500 trips on top of normal services within 90 minutes of Riverfire finishing – five times the additional capacity available in 2025.
About 70 per cent of the 2026 Brisbane Festival program is free, and near the big top a free circus show by ARC Circus and The Yugambeh Aboriginal Dancers is on several times daily.
Living Sculptures: How the birds got their colours combines First Nations dance and storytelling with contemporary circus, for a story about togetherness.
“We’re all birds, so we might have different colours and plumages and come from different areas, but you know, we’re all the same,” ARC Circus artistic director Robbie Curtis told AAP.
Brisbane Festival runs until September 26.
AAP travelled to Brisbane with the assistance of Brisbane Festival.
