Members of our Youth Performance Troupe showcasing a challenging acrobatic skill, under the bright blue sky of the Central Coast at The Horses Birthday Glenworth Valley.

A Spectacular Day of Celebration at The Horses Birthday Kids Festival with Roundabout Circus!

  They both enjoy the ‘mane’ stage!

This past weekend, Roundabout Circus, your community-driven, not-for-profit organisation, had the pleasure of participating in an extraordinary celebration: The Horses Birthday Kids Festival at Glenworth Valley. As the Central Coast’s heartbeat for inclusive circus artistry, we pride ourselves in bringing entertainment, joy, and a sense of community to each event we attend, and this was no different. 

Close-up of horses enjoying their birthday celebrations, at Horses Birthday Kids Festival at Glenworth Valley.

Have you ever pondered over a calendar and thought “how could we make horses' birthdays universal?”

Well ponder no longer, it was already thought about and cemented in time!  It’s a fascinating concept. Every horse in the Southern Hemisphere celebrates their birthday on the 1st of August, and those in the Northern Hemisphere ring in their new age on the 1st of January. It’s not because these animals have an incredible capacity for synchronisation, but it’s a standardised date set by humans for practical reasons.

The colourful flags of Roundabout Circus' 'Big Top' captivated at The Horses Birthday Festival
So many Workshops and shows on at The Horses Birthday Kids Festival.
The colourful flags of Roundabout Circus' 'Big Top' captivated at The Horses Birthday Festival
Horses enjoying carrying riders during the Horses Birthday Kids Festival. One is colourfully dressed a as clown.
Welcome to Glenworth Valley the home of The Horses Birthday Kids Festival

But Why?

This tradition finds its roots in the thoroughbred horse racing industry, which needed a standardised birth date to ensure fair and regulated competition. Imagine the complexity of tracking the individual birthdates of thousands of racing horses! To simplify matters and provide a level playing field, the industry decided that all racehorses would age a year on the same day.

Will this knowledge change you?

Why these specific dates? The choice of January 1st and August 1st takes into account the breeding cycles of horses and the different seasons in the two hemispheres. In nature, mares (female horses) tend to give birth in late spring or early summer when conditions are optimal for a foal's survival. In the Northern Hemisphere, this aligns closely with the 1st of January, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it aligns with the 1st of August.​
Beautiful stilt walkers perform and take photos with attendees of The Horses Birthday Kids Festival
While not all horses are bred for racing, this practice has expanded beyond the racetrack and is widely recognised in the equine world today. So, every August 1st (here in Australia), don't forget to wish your equine friends a "Happy Birthday!"
Clowns on horseback at The Horses Birthday Kids Festival
This fact might not change your day-to-day life, but it's certainly a unique piece of trivia to pull out at your next social gathering. Plus, it gives us another reason to celebrate these majestic creatures! Now that we've trotted down the path of horse trivia, let's gallop back to the main event.
Pony rides at Glenworth Valley Horses Birthday Kids Festival

Set amidst the breath taking backdrop of Glenworth Valley, The Horses Birthday Kids Festival was more than just a birthday party—it was a vibrant spectacle of community, nature, and entertainment. This event not only celebrated our equine friends but also offered a platform for our Youth Performance troupe to shine, a troupe whose talent belies their tender age of 11 to 18 years.

In total, we presented four spectacular shows, each one a testament to the hard work and creativity of our young performers. From defying gravity on silks, demonstrating strength and grace on the trapeze and lyra, balancing precariously on unicycles, to executing jaw-dropping acrobatics and filling the air with laughter through clowning, our performers did it all.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Lastly, a big thank you to all who joined us at Glenworth Valley. We thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this heartwarming event and can’t wait for next year’s Horses Birthday Kids Festival. If you were one of the many who captured our performances on video, we’d love to see them! Don’t forget to tag us in your social media posts. Your support means the world to us and fuels our passion for bringing the circus magic to the Central Coast

A shot of our Youth Troupe taking their final bow to the sound of thunderous applause, marking the end of a successful show at the Horses Birthday Kids Festival.

To wrap up, whether you’re looking for entertainment in the Central Coast or wondering ‘what to do with kids near me,’ consider experiencing a Roundabout Circus show, hiring us for your event, taking a class or letting us host your party. Come one, come all, and experience the magic of circus arts that resonates long after the final bow. 

 

Until next time, keep the circus spirit alive, and remember, at Roundabout Circus, everyone is welcome under our ‘big top’!

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