Cirque du Soleil is returning to Atlantic Station in late 2025 with a show that first came in 2017: “Luzia,” a celebration of Mexican traditions.
“This show has just the right combination of magic,” said Gracie Valdez, “Luzia” artistic director, in a Zoom call from Sydney, Australia with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We have the technology with our giant turntable and treadmill and water curtain with classic circus elements like the trapeze. I feel we really hit the mark with something for everyone, from young kids to older adults.”
Cirque du Soleil has become a trusted, reliable international entertainment brand with dozens of different shows developed over the past four decades. Many of those shows have made it to Atlanta over the past three-plus decades including multiple trips to Atlantic Station, home to “Echo” just a year ago and ‘Kurios” in 2016 and 2022.
Andrew Alexander, who reviewed “Luzia” in 2017 for the AJC, said the show “provides plenty of flash, color and thrills — a few are downright jaw-dropping — all of which will assure audiences that the old Cirque magic is still very much in place.”
In describing the show, he noted that “acrobats, puppeteers, musicians and clowns appear as frogs, panthers, iguanas, birds, butterflies and even cactuses. Rows of colorful maravilla flowers and primitive Aztec-style decorative patterns provide the backdrop. Dazzling lights suggest the sun of the Mexican desert, and water effects emulate the country’s sudden, drenching rains.”
As Valdez noted, “‘Luzia’ is a beautiful escape from your reality.”
About eight years will have elapsed since “Luzia” first came to Atlanta a year after its debut in Montreal, Cirque du Soleil’s hometown.
“If you’ve seen it before, it may be a little short to feel nostalgic, but it’s a good time to recapture memories,” Valdez said.
Adding water elements complicate the show, but Cirque du Soleil technicians have created a system to enhance safety for its performers. “If you look at the stage surface, it’s kind of gritty and textured,” she said. “There are thousands of holes on the stage to dump and recirculate water into the floor of the stage. There are machine rollers and fans to move the water and dry the floor for the next act. It’s integrated creatively into the show to make sure nobody slips and falls.”
Valdez has spent a lot of time in Atlanta over three previous Cirque shows and there is a reason they come back to Atlantic Station time and time again.
“It’s an accessible, prime location with good parking and plenty of food options,” she said. “And we have a strong fan base in Atlanta. And it’s a growing population so there are always new people interested in coming to shows.”
And she has no desire to leave Cirque after working there for 13 years, much of it with the “Luzia” crew in multiple cities on four continents.
“We tour together and live together,” Valdez said. “The culture is quite beautiful. We have good chemistry and we hope that shows on stage. The performers are amazing. They make me laugh. We have a good time. Why would I leave a job that I love?”
IF YOU GO
“Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia”
Nov. 9-Dec. 14, 2025. $69 and up. Atlantic Station big top, 221 20th St., Atlanta. cirquedusoleil.com.
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