Sixth round in 2025
The BigTopLabel awards were presented for the sixth time in 2025, continuing the tradition of holding the ceremony in the European Parliament. This year, three new circuses received the recognition after meeting the required criteria: Tom Duffy’s Circus (Ireland), Gandey Circus (UK), and — for the first time as a special honorary distinction — the first winter circus, the long-running show organized for decades by the Stardust company at Amsterdam’s Carré Theatre. The event was hosted by Lilla Harangozó, Head of Office at Capital European Affairs, which manages the BigTopLabel project, with Georg Häusler, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport at the European Commission, serving as guest of honour.
At the BigTopLabel Awarding Ceremony, István Ujhelyi recalled that almost ten years ago, during a parliamentary conference in Brussels, he had first spoken about the need for a European quality assurance system for the circus world. Back then, many regarded the idea with skepticism, yet today eighteen outstanding circus companies across Europe have earned the BigTopLabel recognition. Ujhelyi underlined that the circus provides quality entertainment for millions and a livelihood for tens of thousands, forming an integral part of both European culture and the economy. The BigTopLabel, he said, is only one — but a crucial — step in safeguarding and strengthening the value that traditional circus art represents. He also highlighted the importance of education, especially the need to support social circuses that promote inclusion and to integrate circus education into public education across EU Member States. He called on the awarded circuses to establish a dedicated community to help others progress and to strengthen their collective advocacy within EU institutions. According to him, the BigTopLabel could evolve into a European programme serving as a model for quality assurance systems in other cultural and artistic sectors. Ujhelyi expressed his gratitude to the newly certified circuses for their professionalism, humanity, and artistic courage, and thanked the partners who helped build the project. “This is a dream we started together, right here in this building, almost ten years ago,” he concluded. “It was worth it — and we will keep going” – told István Ujhelyi in his opening speech.
In his remarks Urs Pilz, President of the European Circus Association (ECA) and the Fédération Mondiale du Cirque, expressed his deep gratitude to István Ujhelyi for initiating and driving the BigTopLabel project. He emphasized that the idea of establishing a European quality certification system for circuses had long been discussed within the industry but had proven difficult to realize, as professional associations and federations could not objectively distinguish between good and bad circuses among their members. Pilz explained that the creation of the BigTopLabel under the umbrella of the European Parliament provided the right framework for developing an independent and credible certification scheme. He acknowledged the extensive groundwork carried out by Tamás Lajos Szalay, who helped define the evaluation criteria and structure of the label. According to Pilz, this collaborative effort now allows the circus community to celebrate a milestone: fifteen circuses have already received the BigTopLabel recognition, with three more joining their ranks this year. Congratulating the newly certified circuses, Pilz stressed that the label should not only be seen as an award but as a tool to strengthen the industry’s visibility and reputation before both the public and authorities. He described the certification as a kind of “passport” that can open doors and facilitate recognition and mobility for circuses across Europe. In addressing the laureates, Pilz praised their individual contributions to circus art. He recalled Tom and Jamie Duffy’s remarkable performance at the New Generation part of the Monte Carlo Festival in 2018, applauded Carol Gandey for her professionalism and global impact on the industry, and lauded Henk van der Meijden for their creative versatility and lifelong dedication to circus and performing arts. Mr. Pilz concluded by emphasizing the importance of using the BigTopLabel to promote excellence and unity within the European circus community, reaffirming his admiration for the passion, creativity, and resilience that define the art of the circus.
Georg Häusler, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport, European Commission (DG EAC):
“Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the European Commission and to congratulate the laureates at the 2025 BigTopLabel Award Ceremony. Circus is one of Europe’s oldest and most beloved forms of popular art. We cannot overstate how much it represents Europe’s living cultural heritage. Across centuries, you have travelled from towns to villages bringing entertainment, art, humour, laughter and beauty, embodying—long before the European Union existed—the very idea of Europe’s unity.
The BigTopLabel does something essential: it celebrates high-quality service while supporting transformation and responsiveness to contemporary challenges—digital, environmental, IT-related, and animal welfare—by setting and foregrounding high standards. I understand the award is seen as a “Michelin-star” for circuses; that recognition matters. Use it. Speak about it. Make clear that it is recognised at European level. This prize has now existed for ten years; thank you to those who initiated it, have accompanied it and continue to drive it forward.
Let me say a few words about Creative Europe. We have been partners of the circus world for many years and will remain so. Creative Europe fosters cultural exchange across borders; it does not fund national or local projects as such, but brings artists, cultural sectors and industries together at a pan-European level—something the circus world has done for centuries. Within this, circus holds a special place. We support numerous projects with strong circus contributions, notably the Circus Strada network, bringing together 150 organisations from 45 countries to exchange and collaborate. Over the years this has generated many excellent ideas. Other supported projects include Beta Circus, a participatory experiment co-creating new ways of doing circus with audiences; EPICIRQ, enabling a local circus family from the Baltic countries to tour Europe and perform for international publics; and Circus Streets, run with the European Capitals of Culture, which demonstrates that the street is a stage with an enduring role. I would also highlight “Act Autism Friendly Cultural Transformations”, a small yet beautiful project showing how circus can be inclusive for communities facing life’s difficulties—an example of art and culture making a tangible difference.
In challenging times—here in Brussels and in many Member States—the circus embodies positive values: creativity, courage, cooperation and, above all, joy and laughter. It is uniquely intergenerational—there is no “old” or “young”, it is for everyone—and uniquely multilingual by being non-linguistic, speaking to all in the same way. This nurtures the hope that Europe is a space of imagination, freedom and shared emotion—precisely what circus represents. Let us hope for more of that joy and positivity in the coming years, and let us show the importance of culture—and here, of circus—in bringing fresh positive energy to the European project, which needs it so much. Once again, congratulations to the laureates for your outstanding achievements, and my best wishes for the future. Thank you.”
Tom Duffy, representing the long line of the Duffy circus family, expressed his gratitude to the BigTopLabel team for their recognition. He underlined the pride of being part of a circus dynasty dating back to the 1800s and the honor of receiving the award alongside other laureates. Duffy spoke about his and his brother Jamie’s lifelong mission to serve as ambassadors for traditional circus, both through their own productions in Ireland and through performances at major festivals abroad. He noted the challenges of maintaining a traditional circus in Ireland, where state support remains limited, stressing that every investment seen in their work is a product of family dedication. He closed by dedicating the award to their late grandfather, Tom Duffy, and to their close friends and colleagues from the Gandey family, whose legacy continues to inspire them.
Carol Gandey Gibbs, visibly moved, accepted the award on behalf of everyone who works with Gandey Circus. She acknowledged not only the founders but also the entire team and the loyal audiences who support their shows worldwide. Reflecting on her late husband, Philip Gandey, she described him as a major creative force behind modern circus performance. Together, she said, they had taken European circus to global stages — from the Middle East to Asia — often without a set formula, driven instead by passion and innovation. Carol Gandey expressed pride in her team, many of whom were unable to attend the ceremony as they were preparing new productions in Hong Kong and the UK. She thanked the organisers deeply, saying the award meant more than words could express.
Henk van der Meijden, producer of the renowned World Christmas Circus in Amsterdam, thanked István Ujhelyi for his vision in establishing the BigTopLabel and dedicated the honour to the thousands of artists who have performed at the Royal Theatre Carré since its opening in 1887. Built by Oscar Carré, the pioneering founder of classical circus in the Netherlands, the theatre remains a symbol of European circus heritage. Van der Meijden noted with pride that this was the first time a winter circus had received the BigTopLabel distinction — fittingly so, as the World Christmas Circus prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary at Carré.
