Combining aerial counterweight, puppetry, dance, atmospheric projection, and martial arts, the old proverb of sticks and stones illuminates a new question: who is the body you also are?

Suggested age 14+. This show contains themes of body dysphoria, patriarchal gender roles, and partial nudity (topless).

ATELOPUS is a vertical dance and projection performance inspired by Ecuador’s endangered harlequin frogs, whose disappearance signals the collapse of ecosystems. As two frogs lose their habitat and transform into humans, the work becomes an urgent reflection on water, environmental destruction and the rights of nature.

This is a FREE outdoor show in Press Bay Court.

Ultra-modern pop-punk juggling surrounded by a huge inflatable blue structure and accompanied by electro beats composed of distorted rollercoaster sounds.

All ages, ASL interpreted event.

Company 29’s debut creation “Natural Causes” takes you on a dark and whimsical journey through the lens of circus, physical theatre, comedy, and live music.

With opening acts by youth circus artists from around the US.

Suggest age 8+, ASL interpreted event.

Eight interlocking ladders create towers, cranes and bridges that explore the tension between the individual and community in American society. A reminder that resilience is built collectively.

This is a FREE outdoor show on the Ithaca Commons.

Through trapeze, burlesque, and physical theatre, the artist abstracts their gender odyssey, inviting the audience into their process of self-expansion.

Suggested age 18+

Stop by the Hupstate Hub - your place for all things Hupstate! Come with your festival questions, or to purchase merch (while supplies last!).

Also home of a Modern Vaudeville Press pop-up shop and the GLING Gallery, featuring works by Emil Dahl, Kelsey Strauch, Stacey Strange, and Wes Peden; and with artwork on display by Ella Shea and Amelia Modlin.

This is a FREE event.

Flying Trapeze Workshop - try a swing!

Want to try a taste of flying trapeze? Sign up for a single swing!

Spots available in advance and day of.

A high flying family friendly nautical adventure set on a flying trapeze! Shipwrecked and lost in the middle of the ocean, a lone sailor encounters a rag-tag crew of high-flying, rope-climbing, acrobatic pirates.

This is a FREE outdoor show on the Ithaca Waldorf School grounds.

In this 90 minute Danish film, Katja Schumann, the world-famous circus artist and horse trainer, struggles to translate her old world into a new era. Can she pass on her way of life without losing herself? The film depicts a journey between tradition, doubt and trust.

Language is primarily Danish with UK subtitles.

Need a lift from show to show? The Hupstate Caravan will provide shuttle service between performances. Space is limited!

Reckon with your past, swing by your hair into the future, and ponder the humble egg in this alluring story about self acceptance.

Suggested age 14+.

ATELOPUS is a vertical dance and projection performance inspired by Ecuador’s endangered harlequin frogs, whose disappearance signals the collapse of ecosystems. As two frogs lose their habitat and transform into humans, the work becomes an urgent reflection on water, environmental destruction and the rights of nature.

This is a FREE outdoor show in Press Bay Court.

Join us for the Opening Night Party at the Ithaca History Center! Cider (both boozy and sober) on tap. Performances by Rik Daniels and Jared Athias outside in the Bernie Milton Pavillion from 6:30-7pm. Come see circus friends old and new!

This is a FREE event.

Eight interlocking ladders create towers, cranes and bridges that explore the tension between the individual and community in American society. A reminder that resilience is built collectively.

This is a FREE outdoor show on the Ithaca Commons.

In conjunction with Ithaca Gallery Night, stop by the south side of Hotel Ithaca for performances in front of the mural!

• 5pm - Matthew Morgan on aerial straps

• roving performances by High Mowing (from Hotel Ithaca to Center Ithaca).

• 6-7pm - Village at Ithaca Circus & Rebel Arts Circus

• 7-8pm - High Mowing Circus Studies Program

This is a FREE event.

Stop by the Hupstate Hub - your place for all things Hupstate! Come with your festival questions, or to purchase merch (while supplies last!).

Also home of a Modern Vaudeville Press pop-up shop and the GLING Gallery, featuring works by Emil Dahl, Kelsey Strauch, Stacey Strange, and Wes Peden; and with artwork on display by Ella Shea and Amelia Modlin.

This is a FREE event.

To The Moon and Back is a charming, silly, all-ages circus show with a handmade set and a creative, problem solving adventure story.  

This is a FREE indoor event at the Tompkins County Public Library.

Flying Trapeze Workshop - come fly!

Open to all levels of flyers, from first timers to regular intermediates! Students are coached individually to their level.

Meet up with other circus community at local favorite SWEET MELISSA’S to celebrate the closing of the 2024 Hupstate Festival!

Join two of Hupstate’s most popular companies from previous years, Acting for Climate Montréal and Ithaca’s Fern Collective, with guest artist Goddess - for an incredible free outdoor show focusing on nature, the environment, and circus!

For all ages

“Cirque Us Stories” is a thoughtfully curated show that flips through the pages of our troupe’s favorite stories to bring you a touching, thrilling narrative about community and identity.

For all ages - kids tickets are free!

Join us for an evening of performances and connection for our community of artists, audiences, and the circus-curious! We encourage all artists, audiences, and circus fans to come out to party!

Suggested 18+ (we never quite know what will happen at the fundraiser!)

Cirque Kikasse is a breathtaking acrobatic show! An extraordinary mobile circus where trampoline, balances and juggling meet.

All ages

This workshop is focused on finding freedom within a structure.
We will share counterweight vocabulary, weight-transfer techniques to lift them, and tools for exploring contact points with your partner.
The idea is to create a common language in order to expand the possibilities within contact dance and improvisation.

Join Lily Silly and the puppet people for a puppet parade from CSMA to the Press Bay Backlot, traveling through the commons.

All ages

Direct from Sweden, Jay Gilligan curates a unique experience specifically created for the Hupstate Circus Festival in a rare U.S. appearance!

All ages

Find @violetdefiantcircus swinging on her freestanding rig right outside the Cherry Artspace after Trojka and before DUSK/NIGHT/DAWN.

All Ages

"I Think It Could Work" is a contemporary circus show.. Utilizing elements of acrobatics, theatre, and classic games, this show is an experiment in what happens when our lives are decided by chance and our fates are left for the audience to decide.

For all ages

Black Joy is a multi-disciplinary journey through Blackness.

This piece is a duet combining mask work, dance, theatre, poetry, immersive, acrobats, stilt walking, and aerial work in celebration of black lives in ancestry, future generations, and those walking the earth at this time.

Ages 10+