Suarez Circus settles into Garrison Savannah

The Suarez Brothers’ Circus will start performing again tonight at its new location, the Garrison Savannah. The circus had to move from The Belle after questions were raised about how it got approval to use the original venue.​
Circus manager Ivan Suarez told Barbados TODAY on Friday that everything was ready for the reopening show, which is set to start at 7 p.m. Government agencies finished inspecting the new site before the show.

Circus manager Ivan Suarez. (Photo Credit: Shamar Blunt / Barbados TODAY)

The move came after questions were raised among several government entities over why and how the circus was first allowed to operate at The Belle. This led to a temporary shutdown and the search for an alternative location.

Speaking as workers made final preparations at the Savannah, Suarez said the circus was eager to welcome patrons back.

“Today is going to be our reopening night at 7 p.m. We would like to invite all the people from Barbados to come and enjoy our show during the period that we are going to stay here,” he said.
Suarez thanked the people who kept supporting the circus even after the disruption.

“We are very grateful for all the people from Barbados because of the support that we get during these days after the shutdown in Belle. Some people bought tickets and just held on to them to wait until we had our reopening. We really appreciate that.”

He said representatives from several government agencies, including health, planning and development, the fire service and police, visited the site on Thursday to ensure all requirements had been met.

“Everything went well. They gave us a green light to start today,” Suarez said.

The only change to the new schedule will be on Saturday, when horse racing at the Garrison Savannah takes priority.

“The race is already on schedule, so we have to cancel tomorrow’s show,” he explained.

Suarez also thanked the Barbados Turf Club for accommodating the circus at short notice, even though they were preparing for upcoming race days.
The circus plans to stay in Barbados until September 20 before heading to the Dominican Republic. However, Suarez said they are talking about possibly staying longer and adding more shows.

He also sought to clarify reports in other corners of the media earlier this week suggesting the circus might not return to Barbados in the future because of the difficulties encountered during this visit.

“I never said that we don’t plan to come back,” Suarez said. “We don’t know when we’re going to come back, but if we plan to come to Barbados, it will be part of the Caribbean tour.”

Regular performances will continue from Sunday, with weekday shows at 7 p.m., Saturday shows at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday performances at 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

(SB)