Cirque du Soleil: Corteo

Like the deceased clown whose festive fantasy funeral it portrays, Corteo has risen again to assume its joyful place in the Cirque du Soleil solar system.


One of some 20 active Cirque du Soleil shows, Corteo closed its “Grand Chapiteau” – or “big tent” – run in Quito, Ecuador, in December 2015 after more than 3,500 performances seen by more than 5 million people since its Montreal premiere a decade earlier. In 2018, Corteo reopened in New Orleans as an even bigger and better arena experience slated for a two-year tour.


If you love clowns, Corteo is the show for you. Taking its title from the Italian word for “cortège,” or procession, Corteo offers a parade of brilliant entertainments in a carnivalesque atmosphere. It was inspired originally by The Grand Parade: Portrait of the Artist as Clown, a 2004 exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada.