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This summer Standon Calling is ‘Running Away From the Circus’. Think bright lights, late nights, smoke, mirrors, music, madness and the strangest people on Earth. Join us as the wild personalities of the circus throw caution to the wind in a carnival of freedom.

For the first time ever, the festival will house an actual on-site circus with The Standon Calling Big Top showcasing live circus acts by day and a fantastic array of bands and DJs by night. Everywhere you venture you’ll stumble upon pockets of performance, themed sideshows and secret areas. Take aerial trapeze lessons, walk through Standon’s wall of mirrors or lie on a bed of nails with a twist.

During the day enjoy a drink in our on-site pub, The Strongman’s Arms where the fire eater will be lining up the flaming shots and you’re as likely to sip a martini with a sword swallower, as you are to sink a beer as you chat up a bearded lady. Over the weekend the pub will host sessions that educate you in the Science of Building a Human Pyramid and the Art of Whipping, help you Conquer Your Fear of Clowns, indulge in some Art Macabre Life Drawing and take you on a Circus Smell Safari.

Late at night venture into the Forest of Freaks where the circus folk live. Here the dark underbelly of the circus is revealed as the lunatics that entertain you during the day let their collective hair down, indulge in their dreams and offer a variety of nocturnal entertainment you’ll find nowhere else in the world. You no longer have to imagine what lion tamers, knife throwers, trapeze artists and escapologists do when they’re off duty. You’ll experience it.

But perhaps most importantly you can actually become part of our circus and perform at Standon Calling in front of your friends, family and other festival-goers. On the Wednesday and Thursday before the festival we’ll be running our circus workshops where you can learn to juggle fire, clown, the art of illusion, slack-rope walking and even play the violin on stilts. This is a unique chance to then showcase these newly learned skills and become a real part of Standon Calling. Learn more here. We also have our next music line-up announcement coming very shortly.

To join the Standon Calling Circus click here.