Philadelphia School of Circus Arts Opens in Former Church in Mount Airy

If you've always wanted to try circus arts, now's your chance: They're hosting free classes all weekend long.

Photo courtesy of Philadelphia School of Circus Arts

Big news, guys: The Philadelphia School of Circus Arts has moved into a HUGE new three-acre circus campus in a beautiful former West Mount Airy church. And the grand opening is this weekend, which means — drumroll, please — free classes! So, if you’ve always wanted to give circus-y activities a try (intro to aerials, anyone?), your time to shine is now.

The new digs, in the Old St. Madeleine Sophie Church at 6452 Greene Street, give the school 28,000-square-feet of space — complete with 40-foot ceilings, beautiful stained glass windows and an observation gallery — to play with. The space boasts a whopping 10 classrooms, with over 100 classes for kids and adults (circus novices included!) on the schedule each week, and they say they’ll also be putting in some trampolines for trampoline classes. (Insert all the squeals here.) Along with all things circus related, the space is also available for events (everything from birthdays to weddings).

The new campus will also be home to the new Circadium School of Contemporary Circus, the first-ever state-licensed vocational circus school in the country. Meaning: You can walk away with a Diploma in Circus Arts via the Circadium School of Contemporary Circus, which will be working in tandem with the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts. Cool, right?

For the grand opening festivities taking place this weekend, Friday, September 15th through Sunday, the 17th, there are a whole slew of performances, workshops and activities for both kids and adults on the books. You can check out the full lineup and register for whatever classes strike your fancy here — but be warned, space is limited, so if you want in, go ahead and reserve your spot, stat. And note, car-free circus-curious folks: The new school is right by the Upsal SEPTA station, so getting there via public transportation is super easy.

Like what you’re reading? Stay in touch with Be Well Philly—here’s how: