Building on the successful 2021 pilot, Circus Around & About 2 was another south-west touring circus project. In collaboration with nine presenting partners, six outstanding performing companies were selected to bring their extraordinary contemporary circus shows and workshops to rural parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Somerset, plus urban community venues in Cinderford, Gloucester, Stroud and Weston-Super-Mare. 

Artists and shows were Max Calaf Sevé with Anyday, Levantes Dance Theatre with The Band, Matt Pang and Owen Reynolds with Those in Glass Houses…, Collective ConTakt with Foley, Poppy Plowman with Turk(ish) and Nikki & JD with Knot.

This project welcomed diverse audiences including D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people and supported the circus sector, by opening up touring opportunities for circus artists, and introducing rural and urban community touring.

CAAA2 presented 42 performances in 26 rural and urban community outdoor and indoor locations between April and October 2024. Many of the places were receiving circus for the very first time, and offered new experiences to audiences who were delighted by the innovative ways the artists used circus as part of the storytelling. The combination of high skill level, comedy, music and unusual equipment in intimate spaces brought the public and performers closer together.  There were also workshops, participatory opportunities and meet the artists sessions. From the audience questionnaire, 94% said the show made them want to see more circus