The CNAC is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026!
Inauguration of the new walkway and CNAC's 40th anniversary celebrations
This year, the CNAC is celebrating 40 years of daring and creativity in the service of contemporary circus!
On Friday 10 April from 6.00 pm to 11.30 pm at the La Marnaise site, the entire CNAC team and its students came together to celebrate the inauguration of La Marnaise's new pedestrian walkway - a space for connection and community life, open to everyone.
✨ The programme for this wonderful evening:
• 5.30 pm: Inauguration of the Jack Ralite pedestrian walkway
• 6.00 pm to 8.30 pm: Circus performances by first- and second-year students of the CNAC
• 6.00 pm to 8.30 pm: Tour of the La Marnaise training studios
• 7.00 pm: Live painting by Stom500
• 9.15 pm: A 28-minute documentary film, with pyrotechnics, retracing 40 years of footage drawn from the CNAC’s video archives by the artistic duo PAL/SECAM, comprising Cathy Blisson and Amaury Vanderborght.
During the evening, everyone had the chance to explore the photographic exhibition ‘40 Years in 40 Images’, curated by Christophe Raynaud De Lage and Philippe Cibille, on display in the town of Châlons-en-Champagne as well as at the Historic Circus whilst enjoying the various food trucks (Popoki, Laeti Plaisirs, La Fabrique de Charley) and a wonderful festive atmosphere created by the DJ set.
Thank you to everyone for turning out in such large numbers to mark this occasion together. It was a time of creativity, connection and celebration, marking four decades of passion and collective expression. We were delighted to welcome you to experience this unique moment, honouring both the history of the CNAC and the deep bond between the school and its local community.
In partnership with the City of Châlons-en-Champagne.
