Cirque du Soleil cuts 70 jobs at its Montreal headquarters

A Cirque du Soleil acrobat rehearses in London on Thursday, January 8, 2026. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

Cirque du Soleil is cutting nearly 70 jobs at its Montreal headquarters, the Quebec entertainment giant has confirmed.

“For the Montreal headquarters, we’re talking about a total of around 70 positions being eliminated. That said, there were already several vacant positions,” the company stated in a written statement.

The headquarters is the main location affected by the decision to eliminate nearly 100 positions across the company, particularly in Montreal and Las Vegas.

The news was first reported by the Journal de Montréal.

This is not Cirque du Soleil’s first attempt at cost-cutting. Nearly a year ago, the company laid off nearly 110 employees, also at its Montreal headquarters. At the time, this represented 2 per cent of the workforce.

The restructuring comes at a time when demand for Cirque du Soleil shows is lower.

The rating agency S&P Global downgraded Cirque du Soleil last October.

“Cirque du Soleil underperformed our expectations in 2025 due to weak demand across its resident and touring show portfolios,” the rating agency commented in explaining its decision.

The agency indicated that the company could reduce its debt ratios through cost cuts and the cancellation of shows.

“The environment could remain challenging, and there are execution risks regarding sales growth and sustainable profitability,” S&P Global said.

Last November, Cirque du Soleil hired a new CEO, British businessman Mark Cornell.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 31, 2026.