The Mad Hatters Circus Tour

After four successful years touring Haven parks, The Mad Hatters Circus Tour was ready for a new chapter.

Haven asked us to retain the characters, circus skills and playful world audiences already loved while creating a completely reimagined production for 2026. The new version needed a stronger narrative, ambitious production values and plenty of fresh surprises for returning guests.

At TAG Live®, we created a brand-new family circus production filled with original magic, illusion, puppetry, choreography and specialist performance. We then rehearsed five individual casts simultaneously and prepared each production to tour 37 Haven holiday parks across England, Wales and Scotland.

Haven asked us to elevate an established entertainment experience while retaining its much-loved characters, circus skills and playful world.

The new production needed a stronger story, fresh surprises and ambitious production values for returning guests. It had to entertain children, teenagers and adults together, combining character-led storytelling with high-level circus performance.

Every set piece, costume, prop and technical element had to travel between parks, fit different venues and be installed and removed within tight turnaround times.

With five productions touring simultaneously, the brief also covered the logistics needed to move five casts and their complete production packages safely and efficiently around 37 holiday parks over six weeks.

our creative idea

We placed Alice at the centre of a new adventure through the Mad Hatter’s world of circus. A magical “Drink Me” potion sends her down the rabbit hole to a chaotic tea party with the Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit and Mad Hatter.

After accidentally sitting on the Queen of Hearts’ throne, Alice faces a magical game of croquet. The Queen makes her entrance on stilts, and Alice must win to become Wonderland’s new hero and find her way home.

Every circus discipline, illusion and audience interaction becomes part of Alice’s journey, giving the show a clear, character-led narrative.

magic built into the story

Working with an illusion designer, we introduced more than five new magic and illusion effects. An original House of Cards illusion, created for the production, makes a character disappear and reappear. New puppetry brings the Cheshire Cat to life.

Aerial hoop, fire performance, stilts, contortion, Cyr wheel, acrobatics, adagio, juggling, silk fans, multi-hoop and LED pixel poi give audiences something new to discover throughout the show.

Each effect advances the story and builds anticipation, keeping families wondering who or what will appear next.

creative and technical production

We developed the complete live production and creative direction, including the script, character work, choreography, magic, illusion and puppetry.

Our teams created original music, costumes, wigs, props and touring scenery. Visual artwork, animation and screen content formed the digital production package.

Show-control programming, audio, sound effects and AV and technical production helped each company reproduce the experience consistently. Costumes and wigs established each character while supporting complex choreography and specialist circus movement.

designing for life on tour

Sets, props and technical equipment had to make a strong visual impact while remaining compact to transport, quick to install and adaptable to more than 30 venue configurations.

Stilt performance needed careful planning around wing space, stage access and entrances and exits. We adapted the staging so the Queen of Hearts could make her spectacular entrance safely at every venue.

The touring operation included 12 vehicles, driver training and logistical support across five routes. This kept casts, scenery, costumes, circus equipment and technical packages moving between parks.

five casts, one creative identity

We rehearsed five touring casts simultaneously. Each followed the same story and defining moments, but every company brought a different combination of circus skills.

Our Cheshire Cats specialised in disciplines from contortion to multi-hoop, while the White Rabbits brought their own distinctive abilities. We adapted choreography and staging around each cast’s strengths.

The rehearsal film below takes you behind the scenes of that preparation, showing the work behind five versions of one production.

specialist rehearsal preparation

Creative, production, technical and operational teams coordinated rehearsal space, resources, costumes, props and specialist training. Aerial, fire and stilt preparation was supported by our health and safety processes.

This gave all five productions a consistent creative identity and quality while allowing performers to bring their own character to the show.

Each company rehearsed the complete get-in and get-out, testing installation, checks and packing within the available venue turnaround times. Drivers and touring teams also trained for the movement between locations.

We handed over the creative and technical packages, supported all five opening performances and continued to provide creative, operational and logistical guidance throughout the tour.

The reimagined Mad Hatters Circus Tour opened on 18 July 2026. Five regional tours ran simultaneously across England, Wales and Scotland until 28 August.

Families enjoyed familiar characters and the Wonderland setting, with a new story, original illusions and fresh surprises. The production drew guests into Haven’s entertainment venues, even during bright summer weather.

Five casts, five complete productions and 12 touring vehicles moved between 37 holiday parks. The touring design reproduced the core experience across different stages, access routes and technical configurations.

For Haven, the project combined creative renewal with operational confidence, supported by the creative, technical and logistical infrastructure needed to deliver across its holiday park portfolio.

By reimagining an established show rather than simply replacing it, we helped Haven protect the audience recognition built over four previous seasons while introducing meaningful creative change.

For guests, the production creates a shared family experience filled with recognisable characters, accessible storytelling and genuine circus spectacle.

For Haven’s operational teams, it provides a touring format designed around the realities of multiple venues, short installation windows, independent touring companies and the movement of people and equipment between 37 holiday parks.

For us, the project demonstrates how we combine original creative development, specialist live production and detailed operational planning with the logistics required to take one ambitious idea to audiences across an entire holiday park portfolio.