Spiegeltent returns to Civic Park with Loca Vida

The Spiegeltent is back at Civic Park on King Street for another season, and if you have never been, it is worth knowing exactly what you are walking into. The name is Dutch for 'mirrortent', and that is the whole point: the inside is lined with mirrored panels at every angle, draped in lush velvet, and built around a small stage no more than three metres wide. It is a vintage circus tent designed to feel like a decadent European performance space, and it is widely described as the most magical venue in Newcastle.

The format is not new. Spiegeltents began in Belgium in the late nineteenth century as portable bars, dance halls and theatres, with lavishly carved wooden interiors, stained-glass windows, velvet and brocade seating and old-style bars. Over the years they have hosted the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf, Charlie Chaplin and Kurt Weill. That history is part of the draw, and it sets the stage for this year's production.

The 2026 show is Loca Vida, a brand-new cabaret-circus spectacle from the internationally acclaimed company Strut & Fret, who also put on Blanc de Blanc Encore, La Ronde and The Party. It runs from Friday 4 September to Sunday 4 October, and it is a major part of the New Annual 2026 festival, which takes over the centre of Newcastle from 25 September to 4 October. The cast is a global mix, with performers from Australia, Cuba, Spain and the USA, including Guinness World Record-holding acrobats, graduates of Cuba's National Circus School and artists who have worked on Broadway, the West End, Las Vegas, Paris and Australia's biggest stages. They have shared a bill with Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera and Dita Von Teese, and the show leans into that pedigree with sky-high circus, high-energy choreography, big brass and late-night glamour.

A few practical things before you book. Loca Vida is rated 18+, so it is not one to bring the kids to. Tickets start at A$54 a head, while New Annual festival tickets sit between A$70 and A$115 for standard first release, and everything is sold through Fever. The venue has its own bar serving alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and snacks, which opens an hour before each performance, so there is time to grab a drink and settle in before the show starts. General admission seating can be reached without steps, and if you have specific seating requests or a companion card, you should email the organisers at least two business days ahead. People with a companion card are entitled to one free pass for a personal assistant or support worker, with a voucher provided to claim the free carer ticket through the Fever app.

If you have never caught a show under the mirrors, this is a good excuse. The combination of a tiny stage, a room full of mirrors and a world-class cast is what makes the Spiegeltent different from a night at the theatre, and Loca Vida is the latest chapter in that tradition.