Great Yarmouth’s circus, rollercoasters and fish & chips are fab for families
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CLAPPING and cheering may be banned but there is no stopping the squeals of laughter and gasps of surprise.
My children Lily, eight, and five-year-old Clark are wide-eyed at Great Yarmouth’s Hippodrome Circus as trapeze artists risk life and limb and synchronised swimmers turn the main stage into a pool.
The pandemic has even inspired hilarious new characters Covid Colin and a Joe Wicks spoof from the show’s star Jonny Mac.
At 117 years old, the Norfolk seafront building is one of the world’s last remaining permanent circus venues.
Elephants and lions used to bathe in the North Sea before performing alongside legends including wrestler Big Daddy. And in World War Two it was used as a shooting range.
It is now run by Peter Jay, a former pop star who toured with The Beatles and Rolling Stones, and his wife Christine and sons Jack and Ben.
Since the pandemic, they have started filming the shows, which feature spectacular effects including indoor fireworks, and it is planned to release them as pay-per-view online.
The kids and I are in Great Yarmouth for a three-night break at the newly-renovated Richardson’s holiday park, where a .
Crocodiles and pythons
There are the obvious pandemic safety measures, but the site still has plenty to offer guests, with go-karts, swimming, live entertainment and two restaurants.
OUT & ABOUT: Hippodrome Circus is from £20 for adults, £12 for children under 14. See .
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Zoological director Scott Bird said: “Three months of closure has had an impact on any business and obviously with our animals, costs could only be reduced so much. But with the government support measures, we got through the lockdown period and reopened.”
Not everyone, though, thinks the Government is offering seaside businesses the right support. Lorna Bevan is landlady of The Lacon Arms in nearby Hemsby, and the pub has been busy with families looking to tuck into beautiful local seafood or delicious burgers sourced from nearby farms.
But Lorna thinks the Government’s Eat Out To Help Out discount scheme has been badly timed.
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She said: “We didn’t need that offer at this time. We want it in September/October time to lure more visitors here out of season.”
But whenever you go, with the circus, rollercoasters and best fish and chips around, Great Yarmouth has it all.
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