Cirque Du Soleil coming to King County's Marymoor Park

2005 Archived News

The King County Parks Division has reached agreement with Cirque Du Soleil to bring the renowned theatrical circus show to King County's Marymoor Park near Redmond in spring 2006.

The Cirque De Soleil shows, set to begin May 4, 2006, are the first events scheduled for a new recreation event and activity area now under construction at Marymoor. King County Parks Director Kevin Brown said the activity area is intended to boost the entertainment and recreational possibilities at Marymoor and the Cirque Du Soleil booking is a "great start."

"This is outstanding news," Brown said. "Booking such a world class event not only provides a great entertainment opportunity for our citizens, but will bring in much-needed revenue to help maintain King County Parks and is expected to generate more than $1 million in positive economic impact for Redmond area businesses."

Cirque Du Soleil - a celebrated theatrical show that mixes the arts of the circus and the street, and features original music, light effects and costumes - is presenting for the first time the live touring production of Varekai under its trademark blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau at Marymoor Park. Tickets are available to Cirque Club Members at www.cirquedusoleil.com.

The asphalt activity area is converting two grass soccer fields into a multi-sport event area that can accommodate world-class shows and competitions, provide a staging area for community and cultural events, and build sports such as basketball, roller hockey, in-line skating and even ice skating. Converting the soccer fields will not displace soccer players at Marymoor Park. In fact, Parks expects a net gain in usability and quality thanks to capital improvements, including the conversion of four existing sand all-weather fields to new synthetic turf fields that will be completed in the fall of 2006.

Generating revenue by increasing park amenities is one of the creative solutions King County is pursuing to keep parks open and well maintained. Through the county's entrepreneurial program, King County has focused on partnerships as a way to enhance recreation while limiting costs.

King County manages 25,389 acres of parks, pools, open space, natural land and trails. This includes 68 baseball fields, 61 soccer fields, four pools, 88 picnic areas, 34 playgrounds, 27 tennis courts, 13 boat launch sites, more than 175 miles of trails, six fishing piers, four community gardens, a climbing rock, the area's best off leash dog park and the world class Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.