Each year, Giffords Circus goes out on the road with a new show and a new theme.
For 2026, Waterfield brings the flora and fauna of the Cotswolds on tour – and at the moment, the tents and wagons are pitched up in Chiswick House & Gardens.
We went along on a hot Saturday morning for the 11am show, with the smell of candy floss, popcorn, and iced coffee in the air.
Cal McCrystal’s circus productions for Giffords are the stuff of legend, with live music by Jenna Dearness-Dark and the Circus Band, jaw-dropping acts, fun, beautiful costumes by takis, and Alice Gifford’s animal menagerie (this year starring Brian the Goose!).
The acts range from aerial duo (Cienna Sisters), foot juggling (Jessyka Jasters), crossbow shooting and knife throwing (Elena and Giacomo Jasters), and clowning (Olivia and Stefan), to acrobats (Addis Ababa Troupe) and the Wheel of Death (Valencia Flyers).
The Waterfield theme, inspired by Beatrix Potter, The Wind in the Willows and an old Gifford family name, presents performers as members of the animal family – fox and hen, rat and mole, newts, squirrel and rabbit, grasshoppers, mantis, and so on.
When everything clicks, a circus can be the best form of entertainment. With music ranging from “Wuthering Heights” to “Paranoid”, from “Tragedy” to “Weapon of Choice”, and “20th Century Boy” to “Solsbury Hill”, the tricks and spectacles have a soundtrack worthy of their skill.
There’s a family feel to Giffords Circus and Waterfield, with the Giffords back in charge, and a number of relative groupings in the cast.
Touring until 27 Sep, this show is possibly their most ambitious to date, with many moments causing the audience to gasp and marvel at what the human body can achieve. Raf Shah as Weasel acts as the MC with physical flair and cunning style.
I’m aware that animal acts are not to everyone’s taste in circus, but the shire horse Maizie, ponies Otto and Tinkerbell, and the aforementioned goose Brian stop the show and bring great joy to audiences young and old. It’s clear they are cared for and loved. Quite rightly, exotic and wild animals no longer feature in circus performance.
This is a fantastic family show that really captures the essence of the animal kingdom, its curiosity, and natural survival capabilities, while delivering on spectacular routines that will make even the most jaded leave with a smile.
Four and a half stars.
Giffords Circus: Waterfield is at Chiswick House and Gardens until 7 June, then continues to Northampton and Stroud. For tickets and more details visit https://giffordscircus.com/.
Photo credits: Giffords Circus.