Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Russian Hour In Ramsgate

Tootling back from town at teatime this afternoon, I found myself queuing in the old Toyota Priapus beside the entire three mile length of our airport's lovely runway. Why the tailbacks? Another fire perhaps? An accident? No, it seems the reason for the jam was the Great Moscow State Circus, which has pitched its big tent for the next week at the Lord of the Manor site.

There are evidently lots of circus lovers here in the Millionaires' Playground. Far more, it seems, than in Margate, where another circus packed up and pissed off last year after not selling a single ticket. Well, their mistake was not pitching up in the island's premier town, wasn't it! And, er, not calling themselves something with a Russian connection. What's that you say? You thought it was Russian? Deary me! No, no, you're thinking of the Bolshoi Circus. This one's run by a Malmesbury based outfit called the European Entertainment Company and is about as Soviet as the old Eastcliff derriere, although I'm told they do lease some Russian acts. The whiff of exoticism must be working for them, as they've also subsequently set up a 'Continental Circus Berlin' and the 'Chinese State Circus'.

Now, about that fat bloke with the beard and the red suit who comes down the chimney every Christmas...

Click here for performance times on Great Moscow State Circus website

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

We were stuck in slow-moving traffic past the airport at 5.30p.m.heading back to Broadstairs but didn't see many cars turning into the circus site. Most had headed either for Ramsgate or were continuing on into Broadstairs. On another tack, imagine if you'd been stuck behind umpteen HGVs heading to/from the China Gateway site trying to turn at the top of Tothill Street.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't help having the bottom part of Newington Rd shut, either. Anyone wanting to get to St. Lawrence or Nethercourt from Manston, Margate, Broadstairs etc., has to go along Haine Rd or Margate Rd. It took what seemed like forever to get from Manston Tesco's to Haine Rd yesterday cos there was so much traffic. The only good thing is you don't take your life in your hands crossing Newington Road by the church. Makes a change does that !! :o)

Anonymous said...

I hear they are short of clowns....

Richard Eastcliff said...

Unlike the council! Boom boom!

Lucy Mail said...

Quite right, 10:23. The queues had nothing to do with the circus, but rather centered themselves around a spot where the Haine Road 'crosses'the Margate Road, somewhere in the vicinity of Westwood.
Most likely, a lot of these people wanted to go to the beach, but found this was the only place they could park!