Roll-up, roll up! Enter the bright and colourful big top for the ultimate family day out and watch circus stars from around the world perform the most daring, dazzling and terrifying acts imaginable. Acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, clowns, and breath-taking stunt bike riders make for an energetic, action-packed two-hour show and an unforgettable experience.

A family-run Irish circus, Circus Vegas travels around Ireland entertaining people of all ages with a show that fuses old school circus tradition with the colour, glitz and glamour of Las Vegas. They have scoured the globe to bring the cream of international talent to your hometown.

*The 2009 line-up will be announced soon. Please see below for the exciting acts that starred in the 2008 tour*

The Troupe Varanne and the Globe of Death

Remember that bit in The Simpsons Movie where Homer rides a motorbike around a cage? Well, try doing that with two other bikers in the cage at the same time and you have an idea of what the Troupe Veranne are all about. Brazilian cousins Marcio, Jonathan and Junior have amazed audiences world wide with their death-defying bike-riding skills. Watch as they do loop-the-loops within the noisy, claustrophobic metal globe, missing each other by a hair’s breadth each time, and gasp as the globe spits apart before your eyes, with one of the bikes still circling inside…

Mr. Trampolini / Mr. Universe – Comedic acrobatics

Oleg Yarlykov hails from Russia and has worked in circus over 20 years, entertaining crowds in Australia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore. A natural-born showman, his theatrical productions netted him the silver medal at the Chinese Circus Festival. His skills include playing basketball while on a trampoline and magically transforming himself into Mr. Universe. He has worked in Zippos and Uncle Sam’s American Circus in the UK for the past four years, where he met his wife Elena. They have identical twin daughters, Alesia and Valentina, who live with their mum and dad on the circus.

Trio Cristo – Juggling Troupe

Brothers Antonio and Jose are fifth generation circus artists who impress with their dexterity and speed in a fast-paced juggling act. Atonio, who is the youngest at 24, has been performing in circuses across Europe since he was just five years old. His older brother Jose, was taught to juggle by his parents and made his ring debut when he was eight. Jose has recently married Brigita, who he met while on tour. She was a Latvian student on Erasmus in Portugal who subsequently ran away with the circus, learned how to juggle and now completes their troupe.

Mimi - Contortionist and Hula-Hoop artist

One tiny, 4×4 transparent box. One full-grown woman. Our contortionist Mimi Ingilizoba draws amazed gasps every time she nimbly folds herself inside a tiny box, which sits atop a mirror-ball, six feet off the ground. A fully-qualified gymnast, Mimi toured with a troupe of European acrobats for ten years, working in Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey and the US, performing astonishing springboard and aerial stunts, before going solo and joining Circus Vegas. She’s also our resident hula-hoop artist, and can catch and spin over 20 hoops around her torso at once.

Picarete - the Circus Clown

Watch out up front! Domingo Morales is the ever-mischievous clown Picarete. Delivering his unique mix of slapstick mayhem to the circus ring, he’s never afraid to bring a few audience members along for the ride! Born and raised in circus in Mexico, he’s toured the United States and Europe delighting audiences with his very visual comedy. Over the years Picarete has tried his hand at plate-balancing, cloud-swinging (kind of like the trapeze, but with a rope instead of a bar) and has even travelled through the air at 40 mph, after deciding to have a look inside the circus canon!

Margaret Duffy

Margaret has been in circus her whole life and is an extremely talented animal trainer. She presents a group of beautiful, wolf-like snow white German Shepherds. These dogs don’t just sit, beg and roll over though – they perform a wide range of truly impressive tricks. Margaret’s daughter Alana is eight and made her circus debut this year, performing alongside her mum and the dogs in the circus ring.

Hedgy, Circus Clown

Stephen Courtney is Hedgy, one of Ireland’s youngest circus clowns. Hedgy inherited his clown name from his father, a popular Irish circus clown in his day. He acts as Picarete’s sidekick, helping him get out of mischief and escape the wrath of the ring mistress. Once the show over is over, Stephen packs away his props and clown shoes and takes out his copy books to do his homework - he’s in sixth class and one of his favourite subjects is Geography, which comes in handy with the circus packing up and moving every week!

Kourtney Pavlov

10-year old Kourtney Pavlov expertly manages a troupe of five Shetland ponies as they canter around the ring. At her command, watch them jump over fences, seamlessly change direction and perform a variety of tricks. When not performing, she enjoys practicing her hoola-hoop skills and watching Hannah Montana. Her favorite subjects are English and Maths.