Every two years since 1984, the International Clown Festival has taken place in Cornellà, first in homage to the universal Catalan Charlie Rivel and in recent editions floods the streets, squares, theaters, schools, markets and libraries of this town in Baix Llobregat with laughter, jokes and red noses. During this 40th anniversary edition, which will be held from October 19 to 27, 70 shows are scheduled with the participation of 85 artists and 47 companies. Among the most anticipated performances, those of three clowns who participated in the first edition and who will offer the best of their repertoire stand out: the Scottish Johnny Melville, the Italian Leo Bassi and the Catalan Tortell Poltrona.
This festival has become one of the most important of its kind in the world and constitutes a clear commitment to promote culture and highlight the world of clowning, which has already become an element of identity of the city that hosts it. At the time, this meant a firm commitment from the city council to valorize those who were then marginalized in the world of entertainment and reclaim their role as culture-creating artists, irreverent, critical, biting, absurd, but cultural.
In 1984, the year of Orwell’s dystopia which anticipated “before the letter” a future in which a totalitarian dictatorship (social networks) interferes to such an extent in the private lives of citizens that it is impossible to escape its control, the writer and then Cultural Advisor of the Town Hall of Cornellà, Ignasi Riera proposed by Cornellà “a war cry, a mobilizing proposition: let yourself be seduced by this celebration of the absurd officiated by the clown; Let yourself be carried away by the charm of a poor but dynamic town, reconcile yourself, in Cornellà and with the clowns and under the suggestive and nostalgic sign of Charlie Rivel, with the imagination.
Antonio Balmón, current mayor of Cornellà, claimed this Thursday the role that his city plays in metropolitan culture, “with an integrative proposal, which invites you to smile, and where gestures imprint community values”. The mayor highlighted that “the festival is already an international cultural icon and each edition has attracted thousands of people to Cornellà, a city well connected to the rest of the Barcelona metropolis.” Balmón added that his city “is having a good time and showing that things can be done with the desire to contribute and add”, concluding that “this week we will do culture, an essential form of culture to face the today’s world and offer constructive and critical responses.
Catalan actress and clown Pepa Plana will receive the 2024 Nez d’Or prize for her career at the festivalan award that will be presented during the festival’s opening gala on Thursday, October 24. She is the soul and artistic director of the company that bears her name, recognized as a national reference in the genre for the quality of its shows and for its contribution to the visualization of clowns. Already rewarded with numerous awards, on this occasion we would also like to highlight her contribution and innovation in the “clowning” language.
More than 25 free street shows will begin on Sunday morning, October 20, during an opening night in front of Francesc Macià Square with Més Tumàcat, Mundo Costrini and the Talleretcraft and Kanaya Circ workshops. But the bulk of the free shows will begin on the afternoon of Friday, October 25, with a parade through the streets of the city and will continue throughout the weekend with performances by companies such as Proyecto Kavauri, Cía Eccentrici Dadarò or Cía Marta Renyer. All tickets for the house shows and the Plaza de Catalunya tent are now on sale on the festival website.
