A fantastic new adventure: Circo di Strada at the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix— performing in Malaysia! F1 roaming entertainment – walkabout – street theatre – festival parade
Six days away from home, nearly 48 hours spent in planes and airports, and—thanks to bizarre traffic jams—another 24 hours or so on the bus. You can imagine there were a few tired eyes to be seen after an adventure like that! 😉 But we enjoyed every moment!
Last week, we traveled to Malaysia with Circo di Strada for a very special assignment. It was our fifth time performing at a Formula 1 event! This time, we were guests at the Bahrain F1 race, which was held in Malaysia. It was a unique international production, featuring a massive festival site and around 200,000 visitors from all over the world. And we got to be a part of it all with our circus parade!
It was a trip involving quite a few flight hours, long bus rides, performances, and, of course, plenty of fun and camaraderie. We were away from home for just six days, but we experienced so much in that time. A wonderful adventure with a fantastic team, great encounters, and incredibly enthusiastic reactions from the audience.
Circus parade among the Formula 1 fans
We spent several days at the massive festival grounds during the Formula 1 weekend. With around 200,000 visitors over the course of the weekend, the place was buzzing with activity. Between the practice sessions and the race itself, it was up to us to entertain the crowd.
And, of course, we did it in our own unique style!
We roamed the grounds with our stilt walkers, juggling clubs, unicycle, and mini-bike. As roaming entertainers, we moved among the visitors, creating moments of surprise, wonder, and joy wherever we went.
That is exactly what makes street theater so much fun. You never know exactly who you’ll meet, how people will react, or what spontaneous moments might unfold. One moment, visitors are gazing up in awe at our stilt walkers; the next, people nearby are pulling out their phones to snap a photo or record a video of our circus skills.
With our walkabout act, we bring the entertainment directly to the people. There is no fixed stage the audience has to travel to; instead, it is a mobile festival act that takes place right in the heart of the action. We pop up among the crowds, grab attention, and create special encounters—turning a visit to the festival grounds into something truly out of the ordinary.
And it works! The reactions were fantastic. It is wonderful to see people surprised by our acts and to witness how circus and street theater bring together people from diverse backgrounds and nationalities.
A street theatre parade that surprises wherever it goes.
At Circo di Strada, we specialize in circus parades, street theater, and mobile entertainment for large-scale events. Formula 1 provides a fantastic backdrop for this; there is a constant flow of people, action is happening everywhere, and visitors arrive from all corners of the globe.
Our parade moves through the bustle, injecting a healthy dose of circus magic along the way. Stilt walkers tower above the crowd, visible from afar. Jugglers send clubs soaring through the air, while unicyclists and mini-bike riders add variety and surprising circus moments.
The beauty of a parade is that you don’t have a single, static audience. As you move along, you constantly meet new people. Sometimes a group of visitors spontaneously joins in, sometimes a small crowd gathers around a performer, and sometimes people call out from all sides for a photo.
That makes every lap unique.
As a festival act, we are also part of the overall festival experience. We don’t just deliver a standalone performance; we bring atmosphere and movement to the venue. Visitors strolling between activities might suddenly find a circus artist beside them or look up to see a stilt walker. These interactions create wonderful moments that make their visit just a little more special.
And that is exactly why we do it. We surprise people, make them laugh, and give them a moment to appreciate something extraordinary. Whether someone has come specifically for the Formula 1 race or is simply enjoying the festival atmosphere, circus and street theater have a universal appeal. You don’t need many words to bring people joy.
Circo di Strada with their street theatre parade as roaming entertainment and walkabout at an international F1 event.
Performing at a Formula 1 event is, of course, very different from performing at a street theater festival or an event in a Dutch city center. The scale is immense, the organization is massive, and visitors come from all over the world.
As an artist, you are part of a much larger whole. While the teams prepare for the race and visitors explore the festival grounds, we provide entertainment amidst all the other activities.
That requires flexibility. You move with the flow of the event, respond to what is happening around you, and ensure your act suits the setting. Roaming entertainment is all about connecting with the audience, being visible at the right moments, and enhancing the event's atmosphere.
And that is exactly what we love doing at Circo di Strada. Whether it’s an international parade, a major city festival, a street theater festival, or a Formula 1 event, we bring circus and street theater directly to the people.
It is especially special to do this on such an international stage. You meet visitors of all different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
The audience's reactions made these days all the more enjoyable. It is wonderful to see that our circus parade brings so much joy, even on the other side of the world.
And of course, watching some Formula 1! 🏎️
Amidst all the performances, it’s easy to forget—but we weren’t just at any old festival site. We were at the Formula 1!
This time, there was even a moment to catch a bit of the race ourselves. After all, when you travel all the way to Malaysia for such a unique event, it’s a real bonus to soak up some of that Formula 1 atmosphere.
It is always impressive to see just how much goes into an event of this scale. There is a massive amount of organization happening behind the scenes, and there is constantly something going on across the venue. And somewhere amidst all that activity, we move around with our stilt walkers and circus performers, surprising the visitors.
That makes it a special place for us to work. We are performers, yet at the same time, we are a small part of the overall experience that visitors take home with them.
A fantastic team completes the adventure
No matter how special the location or the event, it is ultimately the people you travel with who make a trip unforgettable. Trips like these bring our team closer together time and time again.
Interacting with the other artists at the event was also great fun. You run into each other backstage, during preparations, or in the breaks between performances. Everyone has their own act, background, and story, but ultimately, we are all working towards the same goal: giving the audience a wonderful experience.
That leads to great conversations, new connections, and, of course, plenty of good times together.
And let’s be honest: when you spend so many hours on the road together, a positive team atmosphere is especially important. And at Circo di Strada, that’s exactly what we have.
In the end, it’s those moments that stay with you: the performances, the audience's reactions, the fun shared together, and the stories you find yourself retelling long afterwards.
Performing at Formula 1 for the fifth time!
We are incredibly proud to have performed at Formula 1 for the fifth time now.
Every assignment is different—different locations, audiences, and conditions, offering fresh experiences every time. Yet, what remains constant is the joy we derive from performing and connecting with the crowd.
With Circo di Strada, we travel to events both at home and abroad, surprising people with our circus parades, stilt walkers, and mobile street theater acts. We find it truly special to bring this experience to an event of Formula 1’s magnitude.
It demonstrates the versatility of circus and roaming entertainment, with a Circo di Strada parade serving as a street theatre or walkabout act at F1. From city center parades to major international festivals, our acts enhance the atmosphere and overall experience wherever we go.
We are grateful to have been part of this global event once again—grateful for the opportunity to perform in such a unique setting, for the wonderful reactions from the audience, and, of course, for the fantastic team that shared this adventure with us.
And who knows what the next adventure will bring!
Malaysia and Bahrain, thank you!
We’re back home after six days—tired-eyed, with plenty of hours spent flying and on buses behind us, and likely enough stories to keep us talking for a good while yet.
But above all, we’re richer for a wonderful adventure.
An international Formula 1 assignment, a massive festival site, thousands of enthusiastic spectators, great encounters, and a team that was fantastic fun to be with. We’re taking all of that home with us in our memories.
Malaysia and Bahrain—thank you for the hospitality and the beautiful moments! Who knows, maybe we’ll see you again! 🏁
More photos coming soon!
Curious about our Formula 1 adventure and Circo di Strada’s other international performances? Keep an eye on our social media channels. We’ll soon be sharing more photos and footage from these special days.
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See you at the next adventure!
