Danny and Clive - Cirque Du Hilarious | The Magical Mischief Tour Visits Tynemouth

*This is a collaboration with Cirque du Hilarious

I swear Danny Adams is the kids' hero. They absolutely LOVE him. H, H and J watch the panto at Newcastle Theatre Royal every year with school and if you've been along in the past 10 or so years, you'll be more than familiar with Danny & Clive. Their silly, slapstick and often close to the knuckle humour is adored by kids (and many grown-ups alike) and I'd go as far as to say the Cirque Du Hilarious are legends on the local theatre scene. I'm so chuffed that Danny and his brother Mick have been given their own CBBC show - it's going to be great. 

Enough with the background though and back to the present day. You may have noticed a big top (aka the laughter dome) pop up next to Tynemouth Blue Reef Aquarium just behind the car park this summer. The laughter dome is home to the Cirque du Hilarious Magical Mischief Tour for the next three weeks (until 2 September). The show times are as follows: 

• Tuesday - Friday - 2:30pm and 7pm Tuesday - Friday 
• Sunday - 1pm and 4pm
• (Doors open 30 minutes before the show)

There may be some tickets available on the door, but personally, I'd not risk it as I think the show is going to be super popular and I expect it to sell out. The last thing you want is to turn up to try and buy tickets only to find you're too late. You can pre-book your tickets online here. Tickets are priced from £10 per person in the grandstand if you buy a family ticket. The grandstand is made up of wooden benches. Personally, I think you get a great view from here BUT the seats are fairly uncomfortable. I may sound like an old lady saying this but I'd recommend taking a cushion to sit on. The ringside seats are £2 more and are proper chairs - probably more comfortable, closer to the action but the seats aren't elevated so smaller kids may struggle to see here. I don't think there'd be any issues in taking a booster seat though. We were sitting in the grandstand and had a great view. Seats are not reserved and available on a first come, first served basis. There is no bad seat though.

There is parking directly outside of the venue (the car park you would use for Blue Reef) but it's nearly always busy whenever we try and park here. There are more spaces available along the seafront or it's just a 10-15 minute walk to Tynemouth. Cullercoats Metro is just a 10 minute walk away too.

As we took our seats I sent the kids to the concessions stand with £20 and was shocked when they returned with a tenner! The prices are really reasonable here - £1 for a coffee, fruit shoot or water, £1.50 for a can of pop and £2 for candy floss. There are no official rules (that I could see anyway) saying you can't take your own food and drink inside but I think there's something special about eating popcorn or candy floss at a circus.

Now onto the show - there are two halves of around an hour each I think. Our show started at 2:30pm, had a 15 minute interval and ended at 4:45pm so that kind of makes sense! I would say it's around 80% Danny and Clive and 20% other acts. All of the parts you love in panto will play out inside the big tent. Expect lots of slapstick, a few jokes the kids may not quite get and the grown-ups will think 'did he really just say that?', lots of custard pies, water guns, audience participation, screaming, music, comedy set pieces, magic (and it's actual real magic - I had no idea how they did some of the tricks), silly costumes, catchphrases a-plenty, silly songs and more. It's fast moving and laugh-a-minute.

Danny's brother Mick was the real unsung hero of the show for me. His comedy timing and facial expressions are just on-point! The kids love Danny but I think us grown-ups all have a soft spot for Mick.

Between the mischief, there are three additional acts who were really fantastic and well worth watching in their own right, it was nice to have a bit of a break from laughing and the big top was filled with gasps, ooohs and ahhhhs. My personal favourite was the lady from Britain's Got Talent who can fire flaming arrows with her feet (I was watching so intently I forgot to grab a photo).

The following photos aren't the best as I just quickly took them on my phone in bad lighting but Harry, Heidi and Jack were like this the whole way through the show. Actually laughing their heads off and crying with laughter. The only time I see them laugh as hard as this is when they watch panto. The summer holidays are tough and I seem to spend a lot of my time playing referee so to see them all having such a good time like this was so lovely for me to see.  I thought Harry who is nearly 12 might have grown out of Cirque Du Hilarious now but he still absolutely loves it.

I actually found the humour in this show to be toned down a little bit compared to normal (which is no bad thing) and usually I would say the Theatre Royal Panto is best suited to kids aged 6+ but I think The Magical Mischief Tour is perfect for the whole family and even little kids will like it too - there's just a couple of bangs to watch out for. To get a feel for the show, watch our video highlights from the show below (turn the sound on):

I am the first to say I can be *a little* uptight at times and I went into Cirque Du Hilarious knowing the kids would have a great time but actually, I also had a fabulous time and I even managed to laugh out loud on occasion too. The Cirque Du Hilarious team are honestly pros at ensuring their audience have a great time and you will definitely leave in an uplifted and merry mood. You can meet the cast after the show for photos, autographs and to buy merch too.

Tickets are available from just £10 per person if you buy a family ticket - pretty much en-par with the cost of visiting our local cinema on a weekend. I think Cirque Du Hilarious offers fantastic value for money and is the perfect treat to end the summer holidays for the whole family. 

Find out more and buy tickets here 

How to plan a trip to Puy du Fou with kids from the UK who don't speak French

*This is a collaboration with Puy du Foy

I am so excited to share with you our trip to Puy du Fou theme park in France. We spent *the best* two days here and I really would recommend this trip for all ages. Entrance fees are really very reasonable when compared to other top theme parks around the world (see here for details) and I'd recommend a short-break and staying on-site for 1/2 nights to get the most out of your experience (see here for details). Grab a coffee, because this is a LONG post - it's been a tricky task trying to capture the magic and scale of Puy du Fou and just how incredible it is but I hope this post will give you a flavour of what to expect. 

10 Reasons to Visit Seaton Delaval Hall

*This is a paid collaboration with Seaton Delaval Hall

Seaton Delaval Hall is a Grade I listed house in Northumberland. Situated just a few miles from my home in Cramlington, I remember driving past as a child and being told to look out for the infamous white lady who allegedly haunts the property - a girl who fell in love with the Heir to the Hall but died with a broken heart as the marriage was forbidden. I am sure I spotted her looking out of a window once! The hall was closed to the public during my childhood and it was one of those places you'd pass time and time again and wonder if you'd ever set foot inside. 

A Luxury Family Staycation at Rockliffe Hall Hotel

*This post is a collaboration with Rockliffe Hall

Rockliffe Hall is a five-star luxury golf and spa hotel. Nestled in a quiet village on the edge of County Durham, I really believe this resort is one of the North East's best-kept secrets. You may remember we spent the most blissful spa day at Rockliffe Hall last year and I still stand by the fact that I think the spa here is the best in our region. I was delighted to be able to return this summer, but this time with kids in tow......

Encourage Engineering in Children with The Holiday Makers

*This is a paid collaboration with Britmums and The Year of Engineering

We love getting out and about and exploring over summer - I'm a strong believer in learning through experience and really think that travel and days out help to broaden the horizons. It's impossible to plan a day trip on every day of the holidays though and we like to balance time at home with time out and about. However, I will admit that often it is more of a struggle to keep the kids entertained at home and I am guilty of resorting to using the Xbox as a babysitter in the holidays a little more than I'd care to admit. I am always on the lookout for free and educational games or activities that will inspire the kids and allow them to get creative so when I heard of The Holiday Makers, I knew it was something we'd like to get involved with. The Holiday Makers is a brand new hub packed with fun activities and challenges that will help entertain and inspire children and keep their minds sharp all summer long. 

Les Ecureuils Campsite, Vendee - A Eurocamp Site near Puy du Fou (Full Review)

*We stayed at Les Ecureuils as part of a press stay in return for this review

Our main reason for staying at Les Ecureuils was its proximity to Puy du Fou. We were visiting the theme park for three days and wanted somewhere we could stay to extend our holiday and relax a little as a family. Les Ecureuils is around a 90-minute drive from Puy du Fou and was available during the dates we wanted. It seemed ideal so we booked up for 4 nights. 

Win a skating workshop with the stars of Disney On Ice presents Dream Big

*This is a paid collaboration with Disney On Ice and contains affiliate links

Ever fancied skating with the stars of Disney On Ice? For the third year in a row, the Disney On Ice team is offering children aged 5+ the opportunity to win an hour's training session with professional skaters from the show.