Gainesville Circus Center

Gainesville Circus Center is a 501c3 non-profit performing arts school and licensed child care facility. Our mission is to cultivate community through the practice of social circus. 

Our vision at the Gainesville Circus Center is

• To make circus and movement arts accessible to children and adults of all backgrounds. 

• To promote cultural and generational exchange.

• To build a thriving artistic community and performing arts economy. 

• To promote professionalism and professional development in the field of circus arts. 

• Cultivating community consists of: promoting individual growth on personal and professional levels; support collaborative projects; contribute to the local economy.

In 2025, Gainesville Circus Center produced 5 professional shows and 10 student showcases in addition to several community events and collaborative productions. Among our professional events was the 4th edition of CircusPalooza, which took on an entirely new flavor through a delightful collaboration with Swing Theory. We enjoyed working with Swing Theory so much, we have already booked their participation for the 2026-2027 season. 

The 2nd Street Circus Spectacular saw its 3rd edition and continues to present world class talent in an inviting and accessible format for families. The event features indoor and outdoor stages, vendors and kids’ activities at our facility in downtown Gainesville. The outdoor stage allows us to showcase our flying trapeze and equestrian arts programs, while the indoor stage boasted a curated selection of variety circus acts. 

Gainesville Circus Center saw many wins this year including a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for Celebrating America250: Arts Projects Honoring the National Garden of American Heroes. The Gainesville Circus Center is one of 50 organizations in the country to receive this honor and will produce Banjo Buffalo’s Wild West Revival as a result of this award (July 2026). 

Banjo Buffalo’s Wild West Revival is a theatrical equestrian performance featuring Native American dancers, trick riders, aerialists, and live music. It draws inspiration from the spectacle of historic Wild West shows while also reexamining the stories those performances told about American identity.

In 2025 we inaugurated our first cohort of apprentices. The program is geared towards youth aging out of our afterschool program, but who still wish to be heavily involved in our program. The apprenticeship program has proven to be wildly successful in that apprentices gain unique training opportunities and take on responsibility for various aspects of the youth program. As we launch our second year of this program, Gainesville Circus Center continues to prioritize making the arts accessible, producing high quality performing arts events with a focus on circus arts, providing a safe space for people of diverse backgrounds and abilities, and supporting a thriving arts economy in our community. Visit our homepage to check out our most recent annual report.