Circus act hire in Australia: the complete guide

Most people arriving at this page know exactly what they want and don't know what it's called. Something visual. Something that makes guests stop and look up from their phones. Something that isn't a band. This is the page for that, and the useful first step is putting names to the things you might be picturing.

Circus is the umbrella term, and underneath it sit jugglers, acrobats, aerialists, stilt walkers, fire and LED performers, contortionists, hoop artists, unicyclists, plate spinners, clowns and living statues. The prices below are live from the acts listed here, and the spread is enormous because the category covers one person with clubs and a whole rigged aerial production.

There's a live range in the table underneath, city by city, and it's worth treating as a starting point rather than a firm answer. Fewer acts in this category publish a price than in most others, partly because so many quote per job: your space, your hours, how many performers, whether anything needs rigging or a safety crew.

That means the enquiry does more work here than the browsing does. Send your date, venue, guest numbers and what the space is like, and you'll get useful numbers back quickly. Asking several acts at once is normal and it costs nothing.

Roving means performers moving through your guests doing short bursts: juggling near the bar, balloon work at the kids' table, a hoop routine in a corner that gathers a small crowd and then moves on. It fills dead time beautifully and needs no stage, no run sheet slot and no announcement.

A feature show is the opposite: a set piece, a start time, an audience facing the right way, usually lights and music. It creates a moment people remember and talk about. Many acts do a combination, roving through arrival and then a short show later, and that structure suits most events better than either one alone.

The choice is usually decided by your space rather than your taste. Low ceilings rule out stilts, aerial and most club juggling. No rated rigging point rules out silks and hoop unless someone brings a freestanding rig. Indoors or under a marquee rules out fire. A bright daytime event rules out LED. Work down that list and the shortlist writes itself.

Crowd shape matters too. A standing cocktail crowd spread across a big space wants roving performers who come to them. A seated dinner wants a feature between courses. A festival or fete with people walking past wants something tall and visible from a distance. These are different bookings even when the same performer could do all three.

For children, the winning acts are the interactive ones: juggling workshops, hoop lessons, balloon sculpture, plate spinning that kids get to try. Watching is fine for ten minutes, but a performer who hands over a prop and teaches a trick will hold a group of eight year olds far longer. Ask about a workshop element when you enquire.

Corporate work leans the other way, towards polish, reliability and acts that can handle a formal room. Trade show stands use roving performers to stop foot traffic. Awards nights and gala dinners use a feature between courses. Christmas parties take almost anything. Say which it is in your first message, because the brief for a conference is nothing like the brief for a birthday party.

Every act in this family asks something of the venue. Height for anything tall or aerial. Floor area and a mat for anything acrobatic. Clear outdoor space for fire. Darkness for LED. A firm level surface for almost all of it. None of that is difficult, it just has to be settled before the booking rather than discovered on the day.

Ask each act directly about public liability cover and any permits their work needs, then have those papers sent through to you and to the venue. We don't verify insurance, training or certification for any act on this site, so the performer is the only source of truth, and the certificate in your inbox is the only version that counts.

In plain terms, what will you actually be doing? Roving, a show, or both? How much space and height do you need? Have you performed at an event like ours, and can we see video of it? What does the venue have to provide? And does your quote cover one performer or several?

If you're not sure what to book, describe your event and ask what they'd recommend. Circus performers do this for a living and most will point you at the right act for your space even when it isn't the one they were hoping to sell you.