Giffords Circus is a traditional English circus that tours the Cotswolds and south of England every summer, also performing at Chiswick House. The circus features a wide mixture of performer types from various nations, including acrobatics, aerialist and trapeze artistes, tight-rope walkers, stunt riders, opera singers, dancers, clowns, illusionists, and more.

Founded in 2000 by Nell Gifford and her then husband Toti Gifford, the circus has continued to tour yearly (excluding 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) in the summer months since its beginning. Each year the circus has a different theme, with its latest edition being "Waterfield", which creates a magical rendition of the English countryside and the animals that live within it.

History

Creation Giffords Circus was established by Nell Gifford and her then husband Toti Gifford, who met in their early twenties. At eighteen, Nell ran away with the circus, moving to the United States to work alongside her brother in-law, before working on several other circuses. After meeting Toti, Nell began working with a circus in Germany, and Toti moved to Germany with her, where they were inspired to create their own circus. They therefore began Giffords Circus in 2000, using friends and travellers to help, a converted shepherds hut as a box office, and a round white-tent they bought from a newspaper ad for their first appearance at Hay Festival.

Introduction of themes Originally, Giffords Circus mirrored a traditional 1930's village green circus. From 2004 onwards, each tour has followed a different theme. Some recent examples have included "Carpa", a Mexican theme, "Xanadu", a 1960's hippie theme, and "Laguna", which was based around 1950's America. The most recent theme was "Waterfield" which was set around the English countryside and the animals that live within it.

Death of Nell Gifford Nell Gifford died in 2019, aged 46, following a battle with breast cancer that had spread to her bones and lymph nodes. Following this, the circus was then managed by her niece, known as Lil Rice, between 2019 and 2021, with Guy James taking over as CEO. Toti Gifford replaced James as CEO in 2025, who remains involved with the circus.

Performers Performers within the circus come from many different countries and can widely vary in speciality. Some performer types seen at the circus have included acrobatics, aerialist and trapeze artistes, tight-rope walkers, stunt riders, opera singers, dancers, clowns, illusionists, and more. Several performers have performed at Giffords circus repetitively throughout different tours. One regular was Alan Digweed, performing as "Tweedy the Clown", who joined in 2004 and continued touring with Giffords Circus until taking a break from performing in the show from 2024 onwards.

The circus also features animals, such as horses and geese.

Tours 2004: "Pearl" 2005: "The Cockerel" 2006: "Joplin": with a 1960s theme 2008: "Caravan": set in a horse fair around 1900 2010: "Yasmine": inspired by the life of equestrienne Yasmine Smart, who played herself in the production 2011: "War and Peace": themed around Napoleon's disastrous intrusion into Russia, seen through the eyes of a Russian aristocratic family 2012: "The Saturday Book" 2013: "Lucky 13": based on the culture clash resulting from a high art opera- and ballet-themed circus show that is gatecrashed by a rowdy Transylvanian travelling circusGiffords Program 2013 2014: "The Thunders": with the Greek Gods as its theme 2015: "Moon Songs": blending cultural images of the moon with the story of two young Ethiopian jugglers dreaming of fame 2016: "The Painted Wagon": centred on a group of 19th-century American homesteaders 2017: "Any Port in a Storm": with maritime themes, and telling the story of the circus visiting the 17th-century Spanish court 2018: "My Beautiful Circus": celebrating 250 years of the invention of the circus as an art form 2019: "Xanadu": with a 1960s hippie "Summer of Love" theme 2020: "The Feast": a non-touring show due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021: "The Hooley" was an Irish dance themed show. 2022: "Carpa" had a Mexican theme. 2023: "Les Enfants Du Paradis". 2024: "Avalon" had an Arthurian theme 2025: "Laguna" has a 1950s America theme 2026: "Waterfield"

References

External links

BBC review, 2004