Giffords Circus: Waterfield - Chiswick House and Gardens

Since 2024, Giffords Circus has earned a permanent place at the top of my theatrical calendar. I attended the circus as a child, though it was never quite the spectacle that captured my heart. Giffords is something else entirely.

This is not simply a circus. It is a world you step into. Upon arrival, a charming village of caravans unfolds before you, dotted with food stalls, merchandise and drinks, all at genuinely reasonable prices: hot dogs at £7.50, posters around £5 and collectible pins at £4. At the heart of it all, a trio of musicians fills the air with melody, weaving together colour, texture and atmosphere before a single performer has taken the stage. The show itself runs approximately 90 minutes, with around 45 minutes either side of a 30-minute interval, giving audiences ample time to soak it all in.

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Giffords Circus is joyful for all ages. There is something quietly wonderful about watching small children dart across the grass clutching bags of candyfloss, faces alight with wonder. Yet it is equally magical for adults seeking a night of pure, uninhibited spectacle. It is the rare kind of event that earns its place in your year not through spectacle alone, but through the particular atmosphere it creates around that spectacle.

Each year brings a brand new theme. In 2024, Avalon conjured the knights of the round table. In 2025, Laguna Bay swept audiences away to a sun-drenched seaside town. This year, Waterfield turns its gaze to the natural world, drawing inspiration from the breath-taking Cotswolds countryside and beloved children's literature. There is no conventional narrative as such; instead, a richly painted universe emerges through an exquisite set, intricate costuming and a lush soundtrack rooted in woodwinds and percussion, echoing the untamed sounds of the wild.

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Accompanied by the band The Grasshoppers and the exceptional vocalist Jenna Dearness-Dark, the performers command the stage with breath-taking artistry. The show's guiding spirit, carried by the clowns and threaded through every act, is a simple but irresistible idea: if at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Nowhere is this more electrifying than in the aerial routine by the Addis Ababa Troupe, who build to a finale so tense and triumphant that the audience erupts the moment they finally succeed in their gravity-defying human tower.

The comedy is equally essential. Far from a light interlude, it is a genuine highlight. The clown duo Ratty and Mole, played with tremendous charm by Olivia Louise Swoboda-Weinstein and Stefan Swoboda, are an absolute delight. The Valencia Flyers round out the evening with a death-defying acrobatic act that leaves the crowd breathless.

What makes Giffords work as a whole is how well each act feeds into the next. The comedy offsets the tension, the tension amplifies the triumph, and by the end the audience has been through something genuinely collective. What is striking, too, is how much personality is threaded through the physicality: these are not performers simply executing technique, but fully inhabited characters, and the audience feels the difference. It happens somewhere between the laughter and the held breath, and you only notice it once it is already done.

Giffords has been performing since 2000, and there is nothing about it that feels tired; if anything, it seems to grow more assured and more inventive with each passing season. Giffords Circus does not just put on a show. It conjures an experience, and one that is very difficult to forget.

Production Value: 95%

Value For Money: 90%

Personal Enjoyment: 100%

Overall Score: 95% - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5*)

(AD | gifted in exchange for an honest review)

Show Information

Venue: Chiswick House and Gardens, London

Playing Until: 7th June 2026 (before moving on to another venue)

Run Time: Approximately 2h - with an interval of 30 minutes

Tickets can be purchased from this link.