Circus Knie in Zug once again

“Roll up! Roll up!”: The Circus Knie is once again making a guest appearance at the Stierenmarktareal (bull market area) in Zug, and the vehicle fleet for the circus family is huge.

The circus operation is like a small town that travels from place to place, and has now arrived in Zug. But before it's time for "Menage frei” (the ring is ready), there’s a lot to do for the circus people. The huge entourage with caravans and large vans has already arrived from the last venue in Aarau. From the beginning of the week, the large number of caravans and vehicles of the Circus Knie have been densely packed on the Arenaplatz and on two other squares, because the Stierenmarkt is not big enough for everything.

Water and electricity connections are needed everywhere. The two steel arch scaffolds with the well-known lettering for the tent, visible from afar, were already set up on Tuesday. The pitch was still muddy as the raising of the Big Top began on Wednesday morning under the direction of Technical Director, Maycol Errani. There’s movement everywhere. Trucks and forklifts roll in, bringing tent tarpaulins, mountains of scaffolding poles, plates and countless metres of power lines.

Pitching a tent is like assembling a puzzle
First, the approximately 90 circus people cover the ground with plastic and attach the roof tent, which is lying on the ground, to steel cables. The noise level rises, there are rattling and banging noises: precision and a lot of power are required, but everything runs like clockwork. Every movement is perfect. "We are a well-rehearsed team," says Ivan Knie, son of Géraldine Knie, who is lending a hand and ensuring "that all the pieces of the puzzle come to the right place."

The Big Top on the bull market area is almost assembled.
The seats are mounted in the tent.
Construction is underway on the bull market area.          Photos: Matthias Jurt
Poster foir the latest Circus KNiw programme                   Circus Knie

At that moment, the six-ton roof of the tent is pulled up to a height of 15 metres by the ropes on the bridges, using four motors. The side walls are still missing all around, and one team is working on them. Other employees are dealing with the interior fittings. According to Tamara Kury, assistant to the media office, the employees come from Romania, Poland and Morocco. "In most cases, the individual language groups work together, although many employees have been with us for years, and almost all of them understand German."

The arena is already marked out in the middle, and the scaffolding with the heavy spotlights that have to be hoisted up under the tent roof is now in place. The two platforms for the orchestra and the technical equipment are already in place, after which the stands with the 2,100 seats will be built. The relief for the whole team is great when everything has worked out after 8 to 10 hours. As soon as the construction is completed, the artists, clowns and musicians start their rehearsals.

Artistic acts and well-known performers
Ivan Knie is particularly pleased that the whole circus family has survived the corona season well: "We only played seven weeks in 2020, which was a difficult time for us. In 2021 we were able to start in March and to give our premiere in July. This is now our first normal year again, and we're super happy with the audience turnout."

In addition to helping with the construction, he is responsible for the animals in the stables, where horses, ponies and camels can be seen. And he himself trains the horses for his performance.

The 2022 programme of the Swiss National Circus Knie once again offers great entertainment with daring ground and aerial acrobatics and colourful shows. Bastian Baker is on tour this year with new songs, and Ursus & Nadeschkin will also provide comedy elements. The younger audience will surely enjoy the magical performances of the young circus with the ponies.

The Circus Knie will be performing at the Stierenmarkt in Zug from 18 to 20 November. The performances are as follows: Friday, 7.30 pm, Saturday, 3 and 7.30 pm, Sunday, 10.30 am and 2.30 pm. Information on how to buy tickets can be found on
www.knie.ch/circus/tournee-2022/ticketinfos