Cirque du Soleil, together with The O2, have agreed to postpone the Cirque du Soleil - Corteo events on Wednesday 24th June - Sunday 5th July 2020, as The O2 arena has announced it will be used as a temporary NHS training facility to prepare staff who will go on to work at the NHS Nightingale field hospital. The rescheduled events will be Wednesday 30^th June – Sunday 11^th July

All rescheduled dates are as follows:

Corteo, the most enchanting of Cirque du Soleil’s arena productions is set to charm UK audiences for the very first time. A welcome addition to Cirque du Soleil’s 30th anniversary in the UK, the show will visit The O2 from Wednesday 24 June to Sunday 5 July 2020.

This unique production, directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, first premiered in Montreal under the Big Top in April 2005. Since then and including its transformation into an arena show in 2018, the show has amazed audiences of over 9 million people, in 20 countries, on 4 continents.

Corteo, which means cortege in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.

The clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere, watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us. The music turns lyrical and playful carrying Corteo through a timeless celebration in which illusion teases reality.

The concept and unique disposition of the stage bring the audience in a theatrical atmosphere like never seen before in Cirque du Soleil arena shows. The set curtains, inspired by the Eiffel Tower, and the central curtains, which were hand painted, give a grandiose feel to the stage. This sets the tone for the poetry of Corteo.