Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal-based circus-theater company that last visited San Diego in 2019, will return in February with the local premiere of its Mexico-inspired show LUZIA.
LUZIA will be presented inside a specially designed, 2,600-seat circus tent on the grounds of the Del Mar Fairgrounds from Feb. 3 through March 7. A waiting list for tickets opens today.
A scene from Cirque du Soleil’s LUZIA, which will be presented under a big-top tent at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Feb. 3 through March 7. (Anne Colliard)
“Bringing the big top back to San Diego after eight years makes this engagement particularly special for us,” said Cirque du Soleil’s Rainier Koeners, vice president of its Commercial, Americas division, in a statement.
Over the past 42 years, Cirque du Soleil has produced 38 original shows for Canadian and international audiences. It currently has 16 shows up and running, including seven on tour, four in Las Vegas and five in other cities around the world.
A scene from Cirque du Soleil’s LUZIA, which will be presented under a big-top tent at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Feb. 3 through March 7. (Anne Colliard)
LUZIA was launched in 2016 and has been seen by more than 5 million people worldwide. It’s described as a “waking dream of Mexico,” featuring tributes to the country’s people, places and history in a surrealistic dreamscape.
The LUZIA show name is a combination of the Spanish words for light (“luz”) and rain (“lluvia”). It begins with a traveler who parachutes into Mexico and then explores the nation’s culture, nature and mythology.
Like all Cirque du Soleil shows, LUZIA features acrobats, tumblers, aerialists, contortionists, dancers, clowns, singers and musicians. This show also incorporates water effects, including a water basin under the stage floor that the cast uses in performance, and a “rain curtain” that simulates storms.
A scene from Cirque du Soleil’s LUZIA, which will be presented under a big-top tent at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Feb. 3 through March 7. (Anne Colliard)
Some of the characters in LUZIA are a migratory monarch butterfly, troupe of hummingbirds and sea creatures. There are also acts celebrating Mexican cinema, mythology, lucha libre wrestling, soccer, weather and wildlife.
There are 124 people from 26 countries in the show’s touring cast and crew.
An online waiting list for tickets to the local engagement of LUZIA opens today at cirquedusoleil.com/luzia. People who sign up will receive access to pre-sale tickets on Oct. 20. Remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on Oct. 26.