The Lunar Circus

Circus in Karridale, WA

The Lunar Circus was formed in 1995 in Australia.

For many years we toured throughout Western and Central Australia complete with big tops, buses and caravans.  With a collaboration of circus artists and musicians, we took the Lunar Circus show to some of the remotest corners of Australia.

In 2004 we started developing the Lunar Circus site in Karridale, 30 km south of Margaret River between the Blackwood River and beautiful Hamelin Bay, in the heart of Australia’s South-West corner.  We were busy creating a special place where we could hold an annual circus festival.

In 2007 we were ready, and on our new site, we conducted a 2-week summer school, a week of festival training, and the first ever Western Australian Circus Festival.  It was a huge success, with visitors from all over WA as well as interstate and overseas who demanded that we do it again!

Now an annual event, you can come to Karridale to live and breathe the circus every January.  During the 3 weeks of summer school and festival training, kids and adults converge on this unique place to train, learn new skills, give something challenging a go, meet new and interesting people and indulge in the life of the circus. Some stay in the dormitories (you can send your children to us and we’ll look after them!); others bring the whole family and camp onsite for the full 3 weeks.  Those who choose the ‘unlimited’ classes are in circus training from 9:30 am to 5 pm every day!

After all that training, we host the Western Australian Circus Festival.  Everyone is welcome!  Our neighbour kindly lends us his paddock and it fills up with campers who come to enjoy the 3-day festival.  There are non-stop circus shows from around the world as well as music, great food, market stalls, several bars, and even a flying trapeze for the adventurous at heart.