Circus line-up from 50 countries

The roll call of acrobats, clowns, jugglers and daredevils showcased their skills on the Comedy Carpet outside The Blackpool Tower.

The talented characters are the stars of the new season show at the Tower Circus, Circus Spectacular, which marks 123 years of performances at the famous landmark.

Each year, The Blackpool Tower Circus director Laci Endresz and wife Maureen travel the world looking for the best showmen and women to perform.

Talent for this year has been scouted from Romania, China, Hungary, Cuba, Brazil, the USA, Spain, France and Great Britain while the circus clowns Mooky and Mr Boo stayed at home in Blackpool creating props, costumes and designing sets.

World Circus Day is held on the third Saturday of every April and is a special day to commemorate the arts and culture linked to the circus.

This year was the eighth anniversary of the global day which was founded by the Federation Mondiale du Cirque, which is under the patronage of Princess Stephanie of Monaco.

Veteran showman Laci said: “We are incredibly proud of our circus heritage here at The Blackpool Tower.

“We were initially only supposed to be here for one season – 25 years later we are still continuing to entertain more than half-a-million people every season.

“Every year we have a new theme and some real wow factors for our audiences.

“The preparation that goes into creating each season’s circus show is phenomenal and we only choose the best performers from all over the world to come to Blackpool.

“We marked World Circus Day 2017 on the promenade because the circus is about being together and happiness, which is what every member of the cast brings to each performance.”