The Blackpool Tower Circus

History

No other show has the rich heritage that The Blackpool Tower Circus possesses.

Ever since The Tower first opened, The Circus has been delighting audiences with its unique combination of fun, thrills and spectacular feats of skill and bravery by our Artistes from the four corners of the globe.

Until 1990 the Circus even featured wild animals performing in the ring including lions, tigers, polar bears and elephants. The cages and pens where they were kept were beneath the Arena and still exist today.

Never missing a season, not even during the two World Wars, The Tower Circus is Blackpool's longest running show.

Step into the Circus Arena and you are literally stepping back in time. Dating back to 1894, it is the oldest permanent Circus Arena in the world.

Sitting at the base of the great Tower, within the giant legs, the 110 x 110 foot Arena seats an audience of 1,1600 people.

Tower Trivia

• The Circus first opened to the public on 14 May 1894, admission was 6d
• The Circus has never missed a season since it began in 1894
• The Circus is positioned at the base of The Blackpool Tower between its four legs
• The present interior of The Circus was designed by the famous theatre designer, Frank Matcham, and was completed in 1990
• Animals have not appeared in The Tower Circus performances since 1990
• Every Tower Circus performance has concluded with a spectacular water finale. The Arena's unique design features a hydraulic floor which sinks and fills with 42,000 gallons of water in less than a minute

Tower Clowns

A Circus just wouldn't be the same without its clown. Interacting with the audience, bringing fun and laughter and generally linking the entire show together, the Circus Clown has a most important and demanding role.

Down the years, many Clowns have starred in the famous Tower Circus Arena. One of the first was Bob Kellino, who performed from 1897 – 1903. Between the two World Wars, Doodles became the Tower's most popular Circus Clown, performing with his sidekick Austin and ringmaster George Lockhart.

The famous Charlie Cairoli made his debut appearance at the Circus in 1939 and continued to make audiences laugh for over 40 years.

The present incumbent of the role is the incredibly talented Mooky, son of Tower Circus Director & Producer Laci Endresz Snr and the third generation from a famous family of Clowns.

A Circus Family

Since 1991, The Blackpool Tower Circus has been home to the Endresz family, where they have created a Circus legacy that has become renowned worldwide.

Born in Hungary in 1945, Laci Endresz Snr is a sixth generation Circus family member who graduated from the Hungarian Circus Academy and spent 25 years perfecting the flying trapeze. His wife Maureen has an equally impressive pedigree, being a member of the famous Roberts Brothers Circus family, specialising in foot juggling and balancing.

They met in 1970, whilst Laci was performing with his brother Attila for Maureen's family's Circus. After 6 years in the UK, they travelled abroad performing in Hungary and Spain before eventually returning to England. Their three children, Kate, Laci Jnr and Bubu all followed them into the ring at an early age.

Laci Jnr, born in Eastbourne, made his first appearance as a Circus Clown at the tender age of 4! Although now synonymous with the character Mooky, Laci Jnr first drew international acclaim as a juggler, appearing with his sister Kate. He has worked in most of the leading Circuses in Europe, appeared on the Paul Daniels TV special three times, performed before the late HRH Princess Margaret in the Royal Command Performance and Prince Rainier in the Monte Carlo Circus Festival.

His younger brother Bubu has now also firmly established himself as a top Circus entertainer at The Blackpool Tower Circus.

2011 has seen a celebration of 20 years of the Endresz Circus family here at The Blackpool Tower Circus with a show entitled 'The Best of Blackpool', showcasing similar astounding acts that have performed at The Tower Circus over the last 20 years