Circus work is real work — and it pays!

A career in circus is just as exciting as it sounds. It’s globetrotting, creating and performing. It’s networking, moving audiences, and balancing art with adrenaline. It’s creating magic with sweat, trust, and a little pixie dust.

Circus artists are elite athletes whose professional success is not based on athletic ability alone. Rather, exploring the boundaries of the human experience to create a path to profound art.

It all sounds a bit like fantasy, doesn’t it? So, let’s put the fun stuff aside for a sec to ask: ‘can a career in circus actually pay your rent?’

It sure can!! Not only is it a sustainable career, it’s also a dynamic one. In the diverse world of circus arts, you can mix, match, and combine your interests to create your own professional format. Designing a career that moves and grows with you.

You can stick with Traditional Circus Performance or go into Film, Television & Live Theatre Performance. You can travel the seven seas with Commercial Cruise Liners or the world on Festival Circuits. You can do a bit of everything as a Corporate Entertainer or drop the contract life entirely and work for yourself, creating a company or a show.

Many who attend circus schools like NICA often go on to use their accreditations for further studies and combine their craft with teaching, directing, or entrepreneurship.

But let’s chat cash
Pay rates for circus performers vary depending on experience, location, contract type, and performance scale.

There are different payment models artists can accept. These can include salary, pay per hour, pay per gig, or act and profit share (sharing the profits of the show). Here’s a general breakdown (in AUD):

• Large international shows (e.g., Cirque du Soleil):
   $900 –$2,500 per week (plus accommodation, per diems, and travel)
• European cabaret/festival circuit:
   $300–$800 per show, with multiple shows per week during peak season.
• Independent or contemporary circus companies:
   $1,200–$1,400 per week, depending on funding and touring schedule (or profit share).

Casual gigs or roving (street performing):
Highly variable but can easily clear fees of $500 - $800 per gig.

Feature acts (like aerials) for corporate events:
Depending on event size and location, can earn $1,000 – $1,500 per act.

Many performers supplement their income with teaching workshops, coaching, or choreographing acts, which can earn between $50 – $120 per hour.

All in all, it’s certainly a career that requires dedication, versatility, and relentless pursuit of self-growth. But if you can hang 6-metres high on a vertical pole… horizontally… resembling a human flag… you can probably do anything.

Photo by Rob Blackburn
Published 16 July 2025