These are the EIGHTEEN exciting performances that families can enjoy throughout the brand new Big Top Festival coming to Southport this May Bank Holiday Weekend!
You can explore all the interactive fun taking place for free across FIVE stages situated on Lord Street and the surrounding area in Southport town centre this Saturday and Sunday (2nd and 3rd May 2026).
Visitors will be able to clown around, stilt walk and juggle alongside world-class circus acts.
The Big Top Festival will see Southport town centre transformed like never before.
Expect breathtaking acrobatics and daring aerial displays with a talented line-up of acts from across the globe as well as from Southport itself.
As well as being free to attend, the event will also be part of the Merseyrail £2 deal where train travel from anywhere on the Merseyrail Network to Southport is only £2 for adults and £1 for children return on the event days.
There is lots more to enjoy in Southport town centre too this weekend, with events including the return of the Southport Artisan market on King Street, to the front of Southport Market, this Saturday.
The five stages are at:
- 1 – Town Hall Gardens
- 2 – London Square
- 3 – Southport Market’s Extravaganza Room
- 4 – Market Street (next to Southport Market)
- 5 – Nevill Street
WOLF | Circa
A unique 30 minute performance of critically acclaimed show Wolf, unleashes Circa’s fierce performers in a raw, high-energy storm of acrobatics and primal power.
This is unmissable – circus with fangs.
SMASHED2 | Gandini Juggling
The iconic Gandini Juggling presents 9 performers, 80 oranges and 7 watermelons, blending Pina Bausch inspired choreography with witty, inventive acrobatics.
Smashed2 is as wild as it sounds.
YOU TOO CAN TUTU | Gandini Juggling
A witty take on ballet storytelling, this slapstick infusion blends playful precision, rhythmic movement and vibrant colour into a joyful, mischievous performance bursting with humour, energy and mesmerising patterns.
BEYOND | Circumstances
A vibrant yet poignant circus and dance performance. Choreographed by Piet Van Dycke, six professional performers – each an expert in a different discipline – ladder walking, acrodance, acrobike, partner acrobatics and pole dancing take the stage.
RIPPLE | TeaTime Company
A giant metal spiral drives three performers into a thrilling battle with momentum, blending circus and dance into fluid, everyday movement as time stretches, and gravity feels unpredictable. Join the company in London Square, where the stage becomes a playing field.
CIRQUE DU KAKA | EggPeople
Join three hapless, circus misfits who bungle every act, recruit unsuspecting audience members, and spiral into hilarious chaos that ends in a disastrous lion-taming finale that reveals their only true skill. Dramatic eating.
THE GREAT EVE & BALDINI In association with GModels & Casting Agency
Eve and Baldini bring raucous circus ridiculousness. Three wheels, flying objects, slapstick, acrobalance and lively audience interaction, this is a whirlwind of joy and chaos.
THE BLACK EAGLES | In association with GModels & Casting Agency
A high-energy spectacle blending African acrobatics and contemporary performance, featuring human pyramids, tumbling, limbo, and flexibility, delivered with vibrant energy, rhythm, and captivating, crowd-thrilling excitement.
CIRCUS CABARET | In association with GModels & Casting Agency
An explosive Circus Cabaret show that blends acrobalance, aerial artistry, high-speed roller skating and showgirl sparkle. Expect elegance, spectacle and cabaret energy!
ACRORATS | Seeing Doobla
A playful circus duo Brie and Rick-otta tumble through their oversized picnic of cheese wedges and an enormous pizza slice, while setting up a joyful series of games and acrobatics for the audience.
WILD LAUGHTER: FUN ON THE PROM
CutToTheChase Productions & Sidelong Glance A brand new performance in which history’s forgotten clown Albert James returns to life, guiding audiences through his seaside memories, vintage postcards and joyful clowning that transforms the town into a lively, interactive celebration of comedy.
THE FLAMINGOS | Artemis Productions
Florence and Issiah, the last oversized flamingos known to exist, will roam the festival with Ringmaster Harry Bird, inviting all ages to play, interact, enjoy a pat, and celebrate their flamboyance! The Flamingos will perform as a walkabout act, improvising, playing games and surprising audiences across the festival.
HARRY & STEVE’S CIRCUS SHOW FoolsRush
In A fast-paced family circus comedy, packed with juggling, diabolos, tall gira e unicycles and playful audience participation, as Harry and Steve deliver a lively 30-minute show, full of skill, silliness and big laughs.
CLOWN FAMILY New Heritage Performance
Born from bespoke clowning workshops led by Richard Talbot, Clown Family brings buffoonery and silliness to Big Top Festival, with our new collection of clowns coming to Southport on a Clown Family Daytrip!
PIRATE TAXI | Pirates of the Carabina
PIRATE TAXI is a circus adventure around a vintage London cab, mixing live music, humour and aerial thrills as audiences join a playful journey of companionship and shared discovery.
DON’T FEED THE EXPLORERS Birdcage Stage
A 30-minute, slapstick family adventure that follows bumbling explorers through wild jungles. Expect exotic creatures, aerial-acrobat monkeys and a clumsy panda that creates a hilarious, high-energy circus and clowning escapade full of twists and playful chaos.
NOW THAT I BECOME D/DEAF (Destroyer of Words) by Tit for Tat in association with Extraordinary Bodies
Now That I Become d/Deaf is a non-verbal, visual clown show that transforms hearing loss into playful connection, exploring identity, silence, chaos and belonging through looks, movement and laughter.
CIRCUS WORKSHOPS | Delivered by Artemis, Fools Rush In & EggPeople
Be sure to check out the FREE, participatory circus-themed workshops and masterclasses taking place at The Extravaganza Room in Southport Market.
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