Circus in Cairo

It has been a long while since I have been to a circus. The word “circus” conjures up memories from childhood of swinging acrobats, tigers, lions and of course clowns.

The National Circus at Agouza has all this and more. The tickets priced at LE 50, 30 and 20 are reasonable and worth the amount. If you are buying the LE 50 tickets, then you will get a ringside view of the fun, but the LE 30 seats are good too and probably best to enjoy the proceedings.

As usual, the circus starts with a clown act and then in come the acrobats, jugglers and magicians. The magic show is particularly good. Though most of it is something that has been seen before, but watching it “live” is awe inspiring anyways. The best magic act for me was when the magician poured water into the folds of the newspaper, then opened it and voila, there was no water. Immediately, his assistant brought over a glass to him and this time when he tilted the newspaper, water flowed into the glass. Magic? Of course! The act that got the loudest ovation was when he took three strips of cloth and turned it into the Egyptian flag!.

The acrobats truly dazzle with their “balancing” act. A man lying on his back with his legs 90 degrees and balancing a ladder on his feet-so far so good!. Then a woman comes and gets onto the ladder and climbs right to the top rung and performs a number of acrobatic acts at the top. All the while, the man is balancing the ladder and the woman; while the woman is balancing herself and performing the acts at such a height.

The finale was with six lions and three tigers. They were a delight to watch. A particularly lazy and recalcitrant lion was the butt of the ringmaster’s whip on a number of occasions – this had us wincing and would surely raise the hackles of the animal rights activists. Nevertheless, it is indeed a wonder to watch such ferocious animals all docile and at such close quarters.

Definitely, a recommended outing for the whole family! And just to sweeten the deal, you can also get yourself photographed with a small cub! (who has probably been sedated)

P.S. I had forgotten to take my camera, not expecting much. Just for this, I will make a return trip to the circus