Giffords Circus

Roll up, roll up! The UK’s finest circus is coming to town, for the only London stop on its nationwide tour! So cram twenty of your closest friends into a car and head over to Chiswick…

There’s nothing quite like Giffords Circus, which each year continues to cement its status as a national treasure, and quite possibly – yep, we’ll say it – the most charming circus in the world.

It’s a one-off – a tiny, independent English circus, which carefully and lovingly creates an entirely new show, centred around a brand new theme (is the theme slightly spurious? Yes! Is it nonetheless whimsically delightful? Also yes!), each year.

It shouldn’t work, but it absolutely does, and it has done since Giffords was first willed into existence by its formidable founder, Nell Gifford, who ran away to join multiple circuses before fulfilling her dream of founding her own. As she writes, evocatively; “Our vision was a miniature village green circus, bursting at the seams, packed, rowdy, tiny, a little band of performers who live nomadically, performing daily, engrossed in the serious business of making magic.”

This vision – impossibly romantic, and deeply impractical – has, remarkably, been achieved, and Giffords has toured the country since the year 2000. Horses are at the heart of the circus – Nell Gifford being a keen equestrian – and each show features spectacular feats of horse-riding, all the more eye-popping for taking place within the confines of Giffords’ small-but-perfectly-formed circus tent (is there such thing as a Medium Top?). Another mainstay of the show is Tweedy, the internationally acclaimed clown (and his pet iron, which he keeps on a lead), who achieves the long-deemed-impossible feat of being a clown for children who is genuinely funny.

This year the circus celebrates its 25^th anniversary, with a show which promises to transport audiences in village greens across the UK to its version of 1950’s America, masterfully directed as ever by veteran comedy director Cal McCrystal. That Giffords has reached this milestone is a testament to the strength of vision of Nell Gifford, who died in 2019, five years after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

But when you visit, you’ll see why it’s endured. You’ll be swept away into a fantasy world, you’ll witness extraordinary feats, you’ll experience a show put together with love and care by a small and dedicated team, who you can even have dinner with afterwards in the restaurant tent. And, crucially, you’ll see a bloke repeatedly trip over his pet iron.

NOTE: Giffords Circus will visiting Chiswick House as their only stop in London from Thursday 5th – Sunday 22th June. Adult tickets start from £25. You can find out more or book tickets HERE.

Looking for more quirky activities in London? Check out our guide to unusual things to do in London.