Today I’m sharing my honest review of the Circus Mondao show. Before I get started, I want to make it clear I bought these tickets, and I am sharing to make other potential customers aware of the pricing scam I fell victim of, as well as reviewing the show itself.

If you read my blog regularly, you’ll know that my son, Sam is 13 and classically Autistic. He’s non verbal and one of the things he loves to watch videos of is Circus acts. So when Circus Mondao came to town, I knew I had to take him.

Circus Mondao

The Circus Mondao big top was open in my area from Wednesday 10th July 2024 until Sunday 21st July, and the flyer pictured below has been stuck up in many local shop windows for weeks. 3 flyers were even left on my car windscreen earlier this week, so they were really pushing their presence.

I suspected Wednesday and Saturday would be too busy for Sam, as those cheap tickets are likely to pull in the biggest crowds. With this in mind, I decided I’d take him on Thursday, which is promoted as having a “2 for 1 offer” on. I figured I’d pay £22 for one adult ringside ticket for me, and Sam would get in for free.

Buying Circus Mondao Tickets

We arrived at the Circus Mondao box office at 5.20pm on the day, and I requested 2x ringside tickets. The cashier asked me how old Sam was and I said 13. She then said it was £38.

I asked for the 2 for 1 deal and she smirked at me and said no, you get one free adult ticket when you buy an adult ticket, and one free children’s ticket with each children’s ticket you buy. You can’t mix and match.

This seems ridiculous to me. Talk about penalising single parent families. Of course, Sam was super excited to go to the circus, so I couldn’t say no. I grudgingly paid the price and we joined the queue to go inside.

Inside the Circus Mondao Big Top

Once the big top opened, we were shown to our second row seats. These were rickety, metal garden chairs, with hard seats and backs. The front row had padded dining chair style seats which did look marginally comfier, but all of them were sat on the uneven grass floor, so they were all a bit wobbly.

Not ideal if (like me), you have a bad back, or (like Sam), have sensory and balance issues. Bring back Hay bales, I say! The cheaper seats were metal benches, situated around the perimeter of the big top.

Within the big top, there were two food trucks. One selling popcorn, slush drinks and candy floss, the other selling burgers, chips and cans of drinks. There were also staff walking around selling programmes, popcorn and candy floss. You could also buy light up wands.

Before the show, you could pay £1.50 for a quick pony or donkey ride around the ring. This was 2-3 laps per go. The animals all looked well cared for – a big plus for me.

The Show Itself

The show is a phone-free time and there are staff milling around to tell people to put them away, hence no photos of the act itself.

I’ve seen several circus shows over the years, including Moscow State Circus. Personally, I found this show cute in parts but also cringey in others. The magic act was particularly poor in my opinion. The stunt show lacked an audio description so it was hard to follow what was happening / about to happen. (It involves crossbows, guns and an apple)!

Intermission

The 15 minute interval gave you the chance to pay £3 to have your photo taken with the clown, have a £1.50 pony ride around the ring, and buy raffle tickets to win prizes which weren’t disclosed. You could also buy food, snacks, light up souvenirs and programs. The Venue and ticket office is cash only, so don’t expect to be able to use your card.

There’s no juggling at all in this Circus Mondao show, and only one clown. (Who is brilliant). There’s acrobatics, horses and a mediocre bird show which felt like a huge filler. Sam absolutely loved the aerial aspects of the show. The lady being swung round by her actual hair was impressive, as was the grand finale.

There was lots of slapstick acts which screamed traditional circus and were as silly and fun as I’d hoped. Sam enjoyed the safari sketch in particular. (I’m limiting spoilers by not going into too much detail). After the show, the raffle was drawn and you could pay 50p each to pet the animals.

Advice for Special Needs Parents Visiting Circus Mondao

We were attending a 6pm show, and the big top opened at 5.30pm. The show itself started at around 6.10pm, and there was a 15 minute interval. It finished at 7.50pm. Sam was getting very impatient with the long wait, so I’d highly recommend people call down to buy their tickets in advance then arrive as close to the start time as possible.

At the Middleton show, there were a lot of tannoy announcements being made over a mic, which were particularly challenging for Sam. I’d highly recommend ear defenders. You can’t take your own food or drink into the circus, so plan to spend a good amount on those if you need them. (The big top was warm, so I’d definitely plan on buying them).

There was lots of free on-field parking at our show, and the staff were warning visitors over the tannoy not to park on the road as the traffic warden had been seen in the area.

There are no accessible toilets, just 3 portaloos, so toileting or changing nappies etc will be a challenge. The surface is a lumpy field, so while it’s navigable with a wheelchair, I wouldn’t say it’s an easy terrain to push one on. Sam didn’t take his wheelchair but there was space next to the end seats for them, so I’d say book in advance to get those if you need them.

In addition, considering that there are many people at the performance venue and the environment is unfamiliar, I’d recommend that parents prepare custom printed lanyards in advance. This will help parents and kids be reunited quickly and easily in the event of separation. They are also a handy way to carry mobile phones and other personal belongings.

You can write the parent’s name, phone number and other key information on the lanyard, to help anyone who finds them in the event of separation. Additionally, you may want to print the child’s favourite tv show character on it, to encourage the child to wear it. By doing this, it will be easier for others to help contact the parents and ensure the safety of the child, in the event of emergencies.

Final Thoughts on Circus Mondao

Based on the full ticket prices, I’d say it’s expensive for what it was. Had I paid the £22 I expected to pay, I’d be giving the show 7.5 out of 10. Or even 8.5 out of 10, based on their £7.50 Wednesday ticket prices. Sadly, based on the price I paid, I’d say it’s 5/10. It felt like they conned me, and the amount of extra costs incurred once inside the big top only added to this.

When I compare it to other circuses which visit locally, I’d say there are better options out there. We definitely won’t be back. If you decide to visit, I strongly recommend you go down and buy your tickets in advance without the kids in tow, in case there are similar conditions attached to other promotions they have running. Overall, I’m concerned that circus mondao is scamming people with misleading posters and flyers.

I left a comment explaining my frustrations and the Circus Mondao replied with:

“Hi thank you for your comments, Our buy 1 get 1 free offer is on the same value tickets, it is stated at the office so if you buy a adult tickets you will get another free, same with child tickets. we offer many discounts , 50% off vouchers valid thursday to sunday , weds all seats £7.50, thursday buy 1 get 1 free, friday 4 seats for £45 , saturday kids go free( 1 free with each full paying adult) sunday family ticket offers, 2 adult 2 kids £45, £55 £60. and yes we do advise people to come and buy in advance .”

The spelling and punctuation has been left as it was on their reply.

It’s interesting to note that they have reviews turned off on their Facebook page and they aren’t listed on google. Make of that what you will…

Finally, let me know in the comments or on Insta if you’ve visited Circus Mondao lately, and what you thought of the show.