Squire’s Stanmore Christmas Circus 2017 Review

Last Wednesday I was fortunate to have been invited to a special press performance of Squire’s Christmas Circus before the show was going to available to the general public. I chose to attend the Stanmore venue for this was the closest to where we reside and took along a friend from one of my toddler groups and her little.

Neither of us had taken our babes to sit through something like a circus before and with both of them being almost 21 months old we wasn’t sure how they would react but thought it would be a great evening out for them to enjoy something different + see Santa himself. We made the half and hour car journey to the venue, driving past the leafy suburbs of Hatch End and Stanmore before reaching our destination just after 4pm as advised.

Arrival

We checked in at the information desk and was guided to their Cafe where we were all treated to complementary refreshments. As it was rather cold and chilly we opted for hot drinks (I a Hot Chocolate, Eco a Babychino and my friend and her Son a delightful fruity herbal tea). It was nice to have had 20 minutes to relax before the show and not have to rush.

Feeling warm from our hot beverages we all made our way back outside across the car park to the Big Top. We were very fortunate to have obtained front row seats which made perfect viewing for our little babes. As this was an exclusive press performance the audience was an intimate one, with plenty of seats spare for free movement. Now I don’t know about you but I personally loathe large crowds of any sort so the intimate setting worked out perfectly for my guests and I.

The Performance

The evening was hosted by Ringmaster Chris Balthrop and after briefly spoke about the show and what to expect before it was promptly under way where we were treated to an array of acts including Uni-cycling, aerial skills using a cube and rope by Ms Chelsea, juggling, rola rola balancing, rolling globes, as well as appearances from Andrea the clown and a (get this!) a twerking Boris the amazing dancing Polar Bear.

Overall Thoughts on Squire’s Christmas Circus

It is safe to say both my guest and I LOVED the performances (I was especially blown away by Ms Chelsea) and our boys seemed to love it too! Eco sat through the first hour without any fuss, looking in fascination and taking in the big lights, loud music and the fun acts but did begin to loose interest and became really fidgety during the last 30 minutes.

Perhaps this was because the show itself was only meant to be 1 hour long but ended up running over by an extra 30 minutes so. It is likely that because this was a dress rehearsal timings might have been a little off schedule on the day we attended but would advise if you are planning on taking children under 3 just be aware of possible over stimulation after an hour has passed as their little brains can only focus and concentrate for a certain amount of time.

Once the show had officially finished Father Christmas aka Santa made a special appearance where all children present got the chance to meet him. Eco met Santa at our local Children’s Centre last year but cried at the sight of him (he was only 11 months old) but this time around he was more confident to go up to Santa and get his present… though outright refused to sit on Santa’s knee or get too close.

If you have read my thoughts and want to also attend the Squire’s Christmas Circus with your family below are the details you will need

Squire’s Christmas Circus Locations, Dates and Prices

The Christmas Circus is currently being performed at the following Squire’s locations…

• Bagshot Lea
• Shepperton
• Stanmore
• Washington 

The circus performance plus a meet and greet with Santa was open to the public on Sunday 26th November and will continue right the way through to Christmas Eve. Tickets are priced at £12.00 each and are advised to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

I would like to thank the Squire’s team for a fabulous evening out and giving my Son his first experience in a circus setting!

Disclaimer: I was given complementary tickets to attend this performance. I wasn’t obliged to complete a write up about my experience but genuinely wanted to as we all had such a great time! As always thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and entirely my own.