Maybe it’s time for families to start making notes regarding summer holiday attractions nearer to home that don’t cost the Earth!
You could start with this one. Beckford’s Tower is inviting people of all ages to a full day of circus fun with Circus Pazaz, Darryl Carrington, and Cat & Mouse Theatre. On Sunday, 19 July 2026, from 11:00 to 18:00, attendees can expect a day packed with excitement, including two circus performances in a “Little Big Top” tent, outdoor shows and circus skills workshops.
Held on the Grotto Paddock next to Beckford’s Tower, there will be delicious food on site and an all-day bar. Everyone is welcome to bring picnics and blankets, or to purchase locally-made ice creams and a range of hot and cold refreshments on site. Ticket-holders can also enjoy half-price entry to Beckford’s Tower and Museum.
This year’s Paddock Circus Festival brings together an exciting trio of standout performers and immersive experiences. Circus Pazaz will headline in their “Little Big Top”, delivering two 50-minute, family-friendly entertainment shows for a seated audience of 200, featuring everything from breathtaking aerial acrobatics to playful audience participation.
Adding to the magic, Darryl Carrington’s Out of the Box offers a charming, non-verbal comedy experience where surprise, skill, and gentle clowning transform everyday objects into moments of joyful wonder, inviting audiences to become part of the fun.
Completing the line-up, Cat & Mouse Theatre present Stand and Deliver, a hilariously interactive historical adventure that draws audiences into a lively courtroom drama, blending humour, participation, and thought-provoking themes in an engaging theatrical experience.
Tickets available here: https://beckfordstower.org.uk/whats-on/
Netty Miles, Events Coordinator at Bath Preservation Trust, says: “We are so excited to be hosting a fantastic day of circus and theatre performance led by Circus Pazaz and supporting artists! Their high-energy shows combine aerial acrobatics, juggling, hula-hooping, and witty ringmasters, alongside workshops and live music. Fun for all ages, it’s the perfect day out for couples, individuals, families and groups of friends. Individual and family tickets can be booked online.”
Programme for the day:
· 11:00 – Event field opens
· 12.00 – Circus Pazaz show #1
· 13:00 – Darryl Carrington Out of the Box #1
· 13:30 – Cat & Mouse Theatre Stand and Deliver #1
· 15:00 – Circus Pazaz show #2
· 15:30 – Darryl Carrington Out of the Box #2
· 16:30 – Cat & Mouse Theatre Stand and Deliver #2
· 18:00 – Event closes
Circus skills workshops will be provided by Circus Pazaz and carried out at the recommended times of 11:00, 13:30 & 16:30
The Paddock Circus Festival is on Sunday 19 July 2026, from 11:00 to 18:00. Single adult tickets cost £15, child tickets £5 and student tickets £8. Tickets cost £35 for a family of two children and two adults. Tickets include half-price entry to the Tower. All tickets are available online at: https://beckfordstower.org.uk/whats-on/
Access info: Attendees are encouraged to arrive by public transport, as paid parking is limited. Bike racks are available and the site is on the number 31 bus route, only 10 minutes from the city centre. There are a limited number of parking spaces for blue badge holders which can be booked in advance. A disabled toilet is available and the event site has level access. The show can be understood and enjoyed by those with hearing impairments.
Beckford’s Tower Trust and BPT (Bath Preservation Trust) are not-for-profit charities. Income generated by events at Beckford’s Tower helps to meet the cost of running and looking after the tower and its landscape. Any surplus remaining, and other funds from BPT, is invested in collaborative projects, co-curation and educational activities which actively engage underrepresented communities, and continue the Tower’s work to “reclaim the space” of the Tower for all.
For more information about Beckford’s Tower, visit www.beckfordstower.org / Bluesky @beckfordstower.bsky.social/ Facebook @beckfordstower / Instagram @beckfordstower.
The Circus Acts
Circus Pazaz
Circus Pazaz host the big show of the Paddock Circus Festival in their Little Big Top. For a seated audience of 200, they provide high-quality, family-friendly entertainment. Across 2 x 50-minute shows, they will fill the tent full of fun and laughter, with circus skills to amaze audiences of all ages. From aerial acrobats swinging high from silks, hoops or trapeze to hypnotic hula-hoopers spinning a dizzying number of hoops around their bodies, whether as part of the audience watching the show, or having learnt to juggle or spin a plate with them, you will come away from your experience with Circus Pazaz with a smile on your face.
Darryl Carrington – Out of the Box
Out of the Box is a family-friendly comedy show which sees an unlikely character and his box bring audiences together through joyful awe, never knowing what to expect next. With every opening of the box comes new trick shots, mini acts, and hilarious opportunities for participation – but don’t worry – Darryl only ever wants you to leave the stage feeling like the star of the show (there’s no ridicule here!).
Delivered through gentle, non-verbal clowning, ordinary objects become extraordinary in the hands of Darryl – and you won’t believe the reaction he gets from a toothbrush in the finale! The show is a joyous celebration of play throughout your life, whatever your age, bringing generations together through seriously skilful silliness
Cat & Mouse Theatre – Stand and Deliver
Stand & Deliver: Does Anyone Deserve to Be Robbed? is a bold, interactive outdoor performance from Cat & Mouse, exploring justice, inequality and the legend of 18th-century highway robbers. Playful, immersive and thought-provoking, the show invites audiences to step into the jury box, re-enact crimes and decide verdicts – asking deeper questions about poverty, punishment and truth.
With comedy, dancing, and dazzling costumes inspired by history and 80s glam, this joyful yet challenging piece is co-created with communities, including prison leavers, and guided by historical experts. Expect laughter, reflection – and maybe a final dance to Adam Ant.
Beckford’s Tower
Built between 1826 and 1827, Beckford’s Tower originally housed the collection of William Beckford (1760-1844) and sat at the top of a mile-long garden he created between the Tower and his home at Lansdown Crescent, Bath. Following Beckford’s death in 1844, the Tower was emptied of its contents and converted into a funeral chapel for Walcot Parish, Bath. Since 1972, it has been run as a museum by the Beckford Tower Trust/Bath Preservation Trust.
In 2022, Bath Preservation Trust received a £3.9m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to repair the Tower and take it off the Heritage At Risk register. The core aim of the “Our Tower” project was to fully restore the Tower, but the team has achieved so much more than this: improving access for all using physical and digital means; adding state-of-the-art sustainable energy systems to the building; opening up new spaces in the Tower and landscape for visitors to explore, such as the newly uncovered Grotto tunnel; developing the landscape into a green community asset; and retelling the story of William Beckford’s complicity in the transatlantic slave trade.
Bath Preservation Trust (BPT)
Bath Preservation Trust campaigns for and promotes the conservation, sustainable enhancement and celebration of the unique historic built environment and green setting of the City of Bath UNESCO World Heritage Site. The core principles of BPT are: informed advocacy, learning for all, and the provision of authentic heritage experiences at its four museums: No. 1 Royal Crescent, the Museum of Bath Architecture (currently closed), the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, and Beckford’s Tower. BPT receives no statutory funding and is supported by visitor income, grants, legacies, donations and members who share a passion for the city and its environs.
For more information visit www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk / Bluesky @bathprestrust.bsky.social / Facebook /@bathprestrust / Instagram @bath_preservation_trust.
