Changing Lives through the Arts

 

Phare Ponleu Selpak – meaning the Brightness of the Arts – is a non-profit arts and circus school located in Battambang, Cambodia that empowers children, youth, and communities through artistic, educational, and social support programs.

students enrolled annually

invested yearly in education and the community

%

of graduates in jobs

What we do

Over 1,000 students are empowered every year through our schools and programs in performing, visual, and applied arts. Both leisure classes for children and vocational training for young adults develop their creativity, communication, and concentration skills, and give them access to a sustainable artistic career while preserving and promoting Cambodian arts and culture.

Support us

Help us spread a passion for the arts across Cambodia. We believe that all children, regardless of their background, deserve to have access to the healing powers of the arts. Our artistic training provides art therapy as well as professional skills that lead to lasting employment. Your donation directly supports these programs.

Come see a circus show!

Battambang circus schedule MArch 2026
Battambang circus schedule MArch 2026

Circus shows

Experience a circus show by our talented students.

From November to February, shows take place four days a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 7 p.m.

From March to October, shows run three days a week: Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 7 p.m.

Buy your tickets online or on campus!

Visit the campus

Mornings and afternoons, Monday to Friday, we welcome you on guided tours of our vibrant campus. Tours are available in three languages: Khmer, English, and French. Book your visit today!

Workshops & Events

We offer workshops and events for tourists and businesses alike. Spend a day studying art, dance, circus or music with our artists and performers, or host your next meeting or team building seminar at our lush and atmospheric campus.

Sponsor a Child

 

When you join our child sponsorship program, your monthly gift gives our most at-risk students the aid and support they need to stay in school and pursue their passions.

Volunteer with Us

 

We welcome committed and passionate volunteers who have specific expertise or experience which fills a current need. Those needs change over time, but some examples of skills often needed are in social media, communications, IT, lighting, sound design, merchandising, and customer service.

Job Openings

 

Do you believe in the power of the arts as a tool for human development and social change? If this is you, join our team! Check out our open positions here.

News & Stories

Phare Ponleu Selpak arts education and social support during the pandemic

Schools closed: Phare tries to keep the students, teachers, parents engaged

This June 2021, the Cambodian Ministry of Education announced that all schools will remain closed and children will continue learning through online classes. For rural and less privileged communities, it still means a lot of active participation from teachers and parents to compensate for the lack of access to internet and digital devices, and the long term gap it is digging to reach back the standard education level all children are entitled to get.

Love Does Not Hurt campaign

LOVE DOES NOT HURT: Phare is advocating for children rights and wellbeing

Phare is still taking an active role in the ‘Love Does Not Hurt Campaign’: a three-year advocacy campaign launched in 2020 to push for an end to Humiliating/Corporal Punishment and to promote Positive Discipline in the Southeast Asian Region. In May and June, our social support team conducted a new series of awareness sessions in 16 villages of Battambang Province, to which more than 330 persons attended. You might not be familiar with the concepts of Corporal Punishment and Positive Discipline? Read our article to know more!

Guinness World Record: Phare artists performed 24h

Guinness World Record: Phare artists performed 24h

History was made at 08.10AM on Monday 8th March, when no less than 90 Phare circus performers took a final bow after a continuous circus performance that lasted 24h, 10min and 30sec in a stunningly ambitious Guinness World Record attempt in the category of Longest Circus Show.