Bingo Circus Brings Live Thrill to Vizag
At a time when screens dominate entertainment, a canvas tent at the Vepagunta grounds on Pendurthi Road is drawing families back to live performance. Bingo Circus, currently touring Visakhapatnam, is offering audiences a glimpse of the traditional travelling circus format, where artistes live and perform on site.
On the road for nearly two decades, the circus operates like a moving township. The artistes and crew stay in temporary tented accommodation set up beside the arena, recreating a self-contained ecosystem at every stop.
Started 17 years ago by Sunil Chauhan, a fourth-generation circus owner, Bingo Circus travels as a single unit. A total of 104 members move with the show, including performers, technicians, and support staff. The entire team stays within the venue premises during the run of performances.
In Visakhapatnam, each show features around 28 acts, with minor variations depending on the timing. The programme includes trapeze routines, globe riding, scarf hanging, and other aerial and balance-based performances. The acts rely on skill, stamina, and years of training rather than digital effects.
Bingo Circus is currently on its Andhra Pradesh tour and is scheduled to move to Vizianagaram next month. Chauhan admits that the space for circuses has reduced over the years. “Circus is not what it used to be,” he says. “But this is our ancestral profession. More than 100 families depend on us for their livelihood.”
He says the challenges have increased since the pandemic, with fewer new artists entering the profession. Many who join leave within a short time, unable or unwilling to adjust to constant travel, physical rigour, and limited comforts. Many senior performers continue, he adds, largely because they do not want their children to face similar hardships.
Despite this, Chauhan believes the circus continues to have relevance, especially for children. Live performances, he says, expose younger audiences to discipline and perseverance, values he feels are fading in screen-driven childhoods. To stay connected with audiences, Bingo Circus has introduced changes within its acts while retaining its traditional touring structure.