Giffords Circus: Waterfield — Fennells Farm, Stroud

Giffords Circus Comes Home to Fennells Farm

Fennells Farm on the ridge above the Slad Valley isn't just another tour stop, it's Giffords Circus's own base, where the props, costumes and rehearsal space live year-round.

The September run brings the company back to its own ground for Waterfield, this year's production and the circus's most ambitious yet in its 26th year on the road. Directed by Cal McCrystal, whose credits include the physical comedy of One Man, Two Guvnors, the show draws on the rivers, hedgerows and wildlife of the English countryside, with a live folk-inflected score from musical director James Keay and handmade sets and costumes built right there on the farm.

The setting does some of the work itself: a working farm turned circus headquarters, overlooking one of the valleys that shaped Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie. Circus Sauce, the in-house restaurant, runs on selected evenings for anyone pairing dinner with the show.

Few circuses still call a single Cotswold field home for most of the year.

Read our full review of Waterfield.

Thursday 10 – Sunday 27 September 2026 · Fennells Farm, Lypiatt, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 7NE · Times vary by day