The first at the arena: demand for circus tickets is growing in Russia
Attendance at circus performances has increased in Russia, participants in the ticket market told Izvestia. In January – September, 473,000 tickets for the show were sold on Yandex Afisha and its partners' resources, which is 41% more than in the same period last year. On the platform Kassir.ru sales for the year increased by 18.2%. At the same time, the average ticket price has not changed much, unlike prices for other entertainment formats, such as cinema and theater, experts say. At the same time, the repertoire of circus shows has significantly expanded.
How much more often have Russians started going to the circus
There is a growing interest in circus performances in Russia, participants in the ticket market told Izvestia. This, in particular, is evidenced by the platform's data. Kassir.ru . The company does not disclose absolute sales figures, but reports that in January – September 2026, the number of tickets sold for performances increased by 18.2% compared to the same period in 2025. In monetary terms, the growth was 29.4%.
In the first nine months of 2026, 473,000 tickets for circus performances were purchased on Yandex Afisha and the resources of its partners, 41% more than a year earlier, the company said.
At the same time, the actual number of tickets sold for the show is much higher, said Edgard Zapashny, general director of the Bolshoi Moscow Circus. For example, in the third quarter of 2026 alone, the Circus on Vernadsky Avenue hosted 150,000 spectators, he told Izvestia.
— Circus art in Russia continues to gain momentum, and we feel a growing interest in our field. This affects not only ticket sales, but also the image of the companies. There are more and more offers about interviews, filming, and other formats," he said.
Izvestia sent questions on the dynamics of ticket sales to Rosgoscirk (overseen by the Ministry of Culture) and to major circuses in the country.
According to the experts interviewed, the growth of interest in performances in the arena can be explained by several reasons. One of the key ones is the cost of the visit. According to Yandex Afisha, in the third quarter, the average check was 7.4 thousand rubles. It is important to keep in mind that we are talking specifically about the order amount, which may include several tickets. Compared to 2025, the indicator has hardly changed, and decreased by 7% compared to the previous quarter.
For comparison, in the second quarter, the average cinema ticket order was 1,084 rubles, which is 6.9% more than in 2025. In theaters, this figure reached 4,786 rubles, an increase of 19% over the year, the Yandex press service reported.
What attracts the audience to circus shows
An equally important role is played by the fact that performances are becoming more interesting, experts say. According to Edgard Zapashny, public and private circuses are constantly working to improve their programs: they purchase new equipment and develop the performing skills of artists.
Director of Marketing, GK Kassir.ru Alexander Barsukov also notes the trend towards a multi-format modern circus. According to him, today traditional genres are increasingly combined with modern stage technologies.
— The repertoire includes shows on water and ice, programs using lighting effects and holographic technologies, as well as performances based on famous fairy tales. Such formats allow circuses to attract a family audience and offer viewers a variety of leisure scenarios," he explained.
Danil Grebenev, head of Yandex Afisha, agrees with this opinion. According to him, the shows are gradually moving away from the format of individual numbers and turning into large-scale performances with a theatrical plot, special effects, music and decorations.
— All this attracts a new audience and brings back those who have not been to the circus for a long time. But, of course, performances are traditionally a family type of recreation: the whole family often goes to such events," he said.
According to Victoria Nechaeva, market research analyst at Strategy Partners, ticket sales growth is associated with a steady recovery in demand for live mass events and a change in consumer preferences. Moreover, a study by the consulting company showed that circuses were among the top 3 entertainment and children's event formats in Russia in 2025.
— After the pandemic, there was a pent-up demand for the offline format, and now circus and ice shows are becoming part of a broader trend towards the experience economy. Seasonality can also play an additional role — creating a stir around the event due to the limited time of its presence in the poster and thereby giving it exclusivity, she believes.
At the same time, the interest is not limited to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Sochi, Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Krasnoyarsk are also among the cities with the largest ticket sales on Yandex Afisha.
Experts are confident that the industry in Russia will continue to develop in the coming years. Government support remains one of the growth factors, says Edgard Zapashny. So, in 2021, Rosgoscirk announced a large-scale program for the reconstruction and modernization of circuses, designed until 2031. For example, in 2025, after the completion of the work, the Volgograd State Circus opened, and in 2026, modernization was carried out in Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Rostov-on-Don and other cities.
Sergey Belyakov, General Director of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosgoscirk, Edgard Zapashny, General Director of the Great Moscow State Circus on Vernadsky Avenue, Larisa Savina, Deputy Governor of the Volgograd Region, and Vladimir Karpov, Deputy General Director of the United Customer, cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Volgograd Circus after reconstruction
In addition, in 2026, construction began on a new building of the Great Moscow Circus with an area of 82 thousand square meters. It can accommodate up to 5,000 spectators. The work is scheduled to be completed in 2029.
Circus performers also actively tour the country and abroad. According to Alexander Barsukov, such projects play an important role in the development of the industry, especially for circus tents. They allow performances to be held outside of stationary venues and expand their geography.
At the same time, the foreign direction is still only recovering, says Edgard Zapashny. The international activities of Russian circuses remain limited. Before the pandemic, artists of the Bolshoi Moscow Circus could perform in 13 countries at once, but now the geography of tours has decreased significantly. However, the situation is gradually changing: for example, in 2027 the circus plans to participate in a festival in Spain, he concluded.
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