Land like gold for circus

The life of a circus performer might seem odd, but in essence they have everything they need – except permanent land to stay on.

Following the article Circus gets the boot (week ending 10 January), about Brian Boswell’s Circus not being able to use the land adjacent to Montecasino in the future, Georgina Boswell of the company offered a fascinating peek behind the curtain to see how they find space to perform.

“We have a team that goes ahead of the circus [to find available land]. First we need to determine who owns the site in question and then applications

and procedures are followed. Permission for a site needs to be obtained before any advertising can take place,” Boswell explained.

These sites are also the determining factor of where their travels take them. Meaning, there is not much of a schedule or clear annual plan of where the group of up to 60 people travelling with the show end up during any given year.

“Sites become available at different times, we like to book in advance so sometimes we will change our venue if necessary,” she said.

This means a second visit might not see the lit up tents at the same space.

But finding land has become quite a feat, taking into consideration the rapid urbanisation of areas such as Fourways.

“Fourways has been developed tremendously over the years, I can remember before Montecasino was built, we used to stand on that site. We have to be opportunistic when it comes to booking sites, if we see an open space that would be suitable to host the circus then we apply to the relevant people, sometimes it’s available and sometimes not.”

Their latest visit to a site was by chance, as Boswell said they expected their current site to have been developed by now.

“We were surprised to see it vacant when we were in the area. We have stood on numerous sites in Fourways and will look for another suitable location in Fourways when our route brings us this way again.”

The last time Brian Boswell’s Circus was in town was three years ago.

“South Africa is a big country and there are a number of routes we have to travel around it,” Boswell added.

Up to 80 towns are visited every year.

Their convoy includes generators for the creature comforts of home, and anything extra not provided on site will be hired. This includes ablution facilities.

The big question is: why choose a gypsy life?

The answer is simple: to offer family entertainment for South Africa.

“We will continue to find locations so that we can entertain our loyal public,” Boswell concluded.