The most famous name under the British Big Top is making its first full tour of Great Britain for over 30 years  --  and this first full-grown tour since the early 70’s means Billy Smart’s Circus will be coming to BRISTOL!

Billy Smart’s New World Circus began in 1946 when the highly successful showman --  known to his family and staff as ‘The Guv’nor’  --  bought a Big Top and added circus performances to his funfair as an ‘extra attraction’. 

The circus quickly took precedence!  Over the next 25 years, Billy Smart’s Circus became a household name, touring under a massive 5000-seat Big Top and synonymous with the highest-quality, most modern and most exciting circus entertainment available.  A television ‘’Tribute to Billy Smart’ made history as BBC TV’s first-ever colour programme, and TV broadcasts continued as a Christmas tradition long after regular touring last ceased in 1971.  TV audiences peaked at 21 million, a huge figure even now, and earned a Silver Camera Award.  And Smart’s  --  known as ‘the Big Show’  --  also produced TV ‘specials’ from Windsor Great Park for the Queen’s Jubilee in 1977. 

We’re delighted at having successfully brought a great name  --  and the show’s high standards  --  back to life, and also that we’re bucking the trend by promoting a truly British circus production, this in days of much-hyped foreign imports.  There are no animals, but innovation and quality are at the top of the agenda for the international company of human performers.

The Circus has an important place in British culture, a place at last recognised by Arts Councils as well as the public.  A massive 23% of Britons watched live circus entertainment last year!  It’s only fitting that, at this exciting and innovative time for the Circus Arts, the greatest name in the British Circus should once again present full Season of touring   --  it’s been too long a gap since 1971!

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