Gandeys Thrill Circus is coming to Penrith

[T]he UK’s biggest and most spectacular Big Top show, GANDEYS THRILL CIRCUS is coming to Penrith with an all new action-packed star-studded production for all the family.

Raising the bar sky-high and smashing expectations to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the creation of circus, THE GREATEST SHOWMEN will be staged in the fully-heated 1,500-seat Big Top, equipped with theatre-standard lighting and sound, at French Field (Amenity Area), from Wednesday 18 until Sunday 22 April 2018.

For the first time a galaxy of international stars – from Colombia, Cuba, Kenya, France, Portugal and the UK – are assembled in one glittering production proudly presented by HAYLEY and MARISKA, the fourth generation of the GANDEY family’s circus dynasty.

It is thrills and laughter all the way as Gandeys Circus takes to new heights a heritage of entertaining the entire family – from the youngest member to the oldest.

Guaranteed to have the audiences on the edge of their seats are three of the world’s greatest aerial acts, including the sensational award-winning high-wire walkers – THE GERLINGS. They will risk life and limb performing a four-person-high human pyramid without any safety wires or nets. Their act won medals at both the Monte Carlo International Circus Festival and the Wujiao International Circus Festival in 2017.

Be prepared to hold your breath as THE GERLINGS perform another of their electrifying dare-devil acts – the DOUBLE WHEEL OF DEATH! Not just one… but two rotating arms with steel mesh pods at either end containing jumping, leaping, balancing acrobats performing both inside and outside their pods.

Performing high in the roof of the Big Top, THE CUBAN FLYERS will attempt the legendary near-impossible triple somersault.

But the excitement doesn’t end once the artistes return to the solid ground of the circus ring. The entertainment continues thick and fast with a high speed award-winning juggling act like you have never seen before. From Portugal – the astounding ROGERIO GONCALVES.

Taking BMX biking to the ultimate level, the breath-stopping agility of DENIS and ANNA – creating one of the most stunning acts ever seen on two wheels.

The adrenaline-fuelled action of the KENYAN ACROBATS as they tumble, somersault, balance and limbo; unimaginable feats of dexterity, strength and awe-inspiring gymnastics from MANUEL on the ACROBATIC POLE; and the totally madcap and hilarious mayhem created by Europe’s leading female clown ANDREEA DELBOSQ; all accompanied by lavish dazzling musical routines to rival West End productions and so much more.

A world away from that winter’s day in 1768 when Phillip Astley, a retired Cavalryman from Newcastle-under-Lyme, created the first circus in a field on the banks of the River Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament in London. It became an art-form which spread throughout the globe and increasingly continues to influence every type of entertainment from Rock concerts to Ballet, from theatre to Hollywood movies.

Two and a half centuries later, GANDEYS CIRCUS – itself almost one hundred years old – is living proof that circus does not simply exist… it flourishes. The nuclei of generations-old circus families are continually strengthened by skilled multi-talented professionals from the arts, drama, music and design, all bringing new concepts of presentation to a centuries-old art. So it constantly changes, metamorphosing into a myriad of styles and forms. But since that day in 1768 when Phillip Astley rode on horseback into the performance ring to the beat of a solitary drum, the aim remains unchanged – to thrill, fascinate and delight an audience by taking physical entertainment to the very limits.

Gandeys Thrill Circus at Penrith