Princess Stéphanie: “The animals are artists in their own right”

In an interview with Monaco Info, Princess Stéphanie, President of the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, spoke about the 47th edition and the future of the Festival.
A few days before the launch of the 47th Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, Princess Stéphanie said: “We have all the ingredients of the traditional circus, the classic circus, which is how we want it at the Festival and how my dad wanted it. It’s traditional, in all its glory!”
Rehearsals began last weekend and the artists are ready: “Rehearsals run all day long, sometimes late into the evening. The Festival’s promise is that we can put on two totally different shows with just 5/6 days of rehearsals.” As President, the Princess also talked about what goes on behind the scenes at the 47th edition of the Festival and how the artists are recruited: “A lot of people go to other Festivals and discover new talent, and people send us videos […] Our programme for 2026 is almost finalised already!”
Princess Stéphanie was clear on the subject of modernising the circus and the use of animals: “The effects, costumes and storytelling are all part of this modernisation. As for having virtual animals under the big top, I’m not ready to go there yet, I’ll use real ones for as long as I can. I think it’s a bit of a shame. The animals are artists in their own right.”

As for including the New Generation competition in the Festival, she says: “It has brought a new dynamic, with young people performing alongside established artists […] It encourages them to keep going and come back to the Festival one day.”
Trained in circus schools that are springing up all over the world, particularly on the African continent, many dream of performing at the Fontvieille big top: “African circus is expanding massively. It’s community circus, the circus schools work with street children rather than them being idle on the street. It’s a great way of looking at the circus, and we’re going to try to feature more and more acts from these countries.”
To conclude the interview, the Princess spoke of the emotions that the circus inspires: “The circus is magical, because it’s the only show where the whole family can share the same feelings. There’s nothing else like it, long live the circus!”