Events Entertainment & Circus Skills Workshops
From Walkabout Characters at a festival to full traditional cabaret show & expert-led circus skills workshops.
I have extensive experience in event entertainment and my characters, shows and workshops can be tailored for any audience. Can you imagine a fire juggler at your wedding, a stilt bicycle rider entertaining the crowds at your festival or happy and engaged group learning circus skills from expert international circus performers?
Circus Skills Workshops
I can offer drop-in or structured workshops for all ages with a wide variety of professional circus equipment and expert tuition. Brilliant for family events, fetes, weddings and festivals. Can be tailored to any audience
Why Circus Skills?
- A non-competitive physical activity where everyone participates equally
- Suitable for all ages and abilities, everyone is allowed to join in at their comfort level
- Everyone feels positive that they achieved something new
- Lots of interesting equipment – a wide variety of different activities to try
How Long are the Sessions?
Whatever works for you, from 30-minute taster sessions to three one hour sessions per day.
What happens in a structured workshop?
- Introduction, golden rules, safety points, demonstration / show
- A short activity to warm up, develop working together and co-ordination
- Demonstrating and having a go at juggling – bean bags or scarves
- Demonstrating and trying spinning plates
- Having a go at diabolos and flower sticks
- The big props – unicycles, stilts, hula hoops
- Longer sessions can include hat manipulation, cigar boxes, tightrope etc.
What happens in open workshops?
All the same activities but participants drop in and I demonstrate and teach as appropriate.
How many can take part and how much do they cost?
From 1 to 100 or more depending on the numbers of instructors you book. Every event is different, please contact me to discuss the possibilities.
Walkabout Event Entertainment
My speciality is fully developed walkabout and stilt walking characters of the highest calibre. I mix interaction and improvisation with prepared material to add to the atmosphere at any event. Subtle or gregarious, my varied experience means you can relax and let me get on with entertaining your guests!
Here are few of my popular characters:
Walkabout Characters for every event
Many of my characters and costumes are available as double act or trio with two fellow performers. Two performers are always twice the impact with the additional possibility of juggling props.
A number of characters are also available on our Stilt Bikes – specially converted mountain bikes we ride whilst on stilts, these are great for parades and carnivals, as we are very mobile. The bikes can be dressed for any occasion or theme.
Alongside circus entertainment for events, I also specialise in Victorian-themed entertainment suitable for historic events and locations with period street theatre, festive characters and other circus acts for hire.
Shows
Thomas Trilby’s shows are always fast moving and energetic – packed full of skills and comedy, thrills and excitement. Wearing a bright hand-made suit and carrying an antique suitcase I can stop crowds in minutes. The format of shows can always be tailored to fit your event. Ideal wedding entertainment!
Thomas Trilby's Traditional Show
A fast-moving mixture of circus skills (juggling, unicycle, diablo, flower sticks etc), fire, comedy, escapology, audience participation, magic, balloon modelling and more, finishing with the fire juggling ‘super volunteer!’ of death (or something!) Volunteers are used in a non-threatening way to build to a big finale including fire. As seen on BBC Points West.
Traditional Plate Spinning
With a specially built rig I build up through various plate spinning tricks to a finale with 5 porcelain plates spinning simultaneously.
Shows can be tailored for any audience – all adults, all children or a mixture. They can be performed inside or outside, to a few people in an intimate setting or in front of hundreds. Shows can be tailored to any length – 30 minutes works well.
Fire and Glow Shows
A crowd stopping performance using fire clubs, fire devil stick and fire diablo. I use state of the art LED clubs, devil stick and diablo to perform eye-catching routines in the dark.
Cabaret Show
All the skills tailored into a cabaret show suitable for dinners, weddings, corporate events etc. A mixture of stand-up comedy and circus!
Events & Shows
Recent customers of my event entertainment and circus skills workshops have included:
Tetbury Woolsack Races
Girl Guiding
Street Fair
Le Soir Rouge Burlesque
Bath University
Devizes Street Fair
Wotton Basset Street Fair
Malmsbury Carnival
Endsleigh Christmas Party
Dyson Christmas Party
Worcester Boat Fair
Durham Cathedral
National Star College
Chepstow Spooktacular Fireworks
Looking for a circus skills workshop, fire performers or festival entertainment?
happy events & workshops customers
Thank you for an excellent party today Jem. You pitched it perfectly, and we all – big and small – had a grand time.
Jude Limburn, Party Organiser
They were brilliant at the event, they interacted well with the crowd, were punctual and professional, helpful in encouraging guests to have a go and all round great fun to work with! We will definitely look forward to working with you again!
MCC Events Ltd
Just wanted to thank you for your fandabidozi performance yesterday. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all children, adults and olds as you could see.
Maria Antonio, Greek Orthodox Church, Bristol
Thanks so much for last Saturday. You made a real difference to the atmosphere – and people clearly loved having their photo taken with you!
Mhairi Smith, Marketing Gloucester
Have dusted off the juggling batons as I was inspired following the Bethlehem Festival but not having a lot of success so far. It was great to see the children’s faces – to say nothing of the nuns….
Valerie Hammond, Bet Lahem Live
Thank you, thank you Thomas Trilby for such a splendid day celebrating our birthdays in the park and at the Lansdown, you made it such a great event – everyone loved it.
Robina Farrimond, 40th Birthday Party
Thank you for all your hard work, you are absolutely the epitome of what we are looking for in circus walkabout entertainment.
Glastonbury Festival
You were both wonderful and we all loved you both to bits! Thanks for supporting us..… We do hope you will return in the future?
Peta Banbury, Minchinhampton Country Fayre
Just wondered if you could pass on my thanks to the guys for Saturday – they were absolutely fantastic both in terms of their performance and personality. Everyone commented how professional they were and we received many complements on their behalf.
The Happy Couple, Birmingham Wedding
Jem and his team have worked at the Bugatti Owners Club/Prescott Hill Climb’s most prolific events for the past few years. They are consummate professionals, providing incredible quality entertainment. They are always a crowd pleaser with our visitors, and are so versatile they can adapt to any event theme
Rebecca Leppard, Bugatti Owners Club
