The Suarez Circus’ experience in Barbados has left a bad taste in the mouths of its management.
Ivan Suarez, one of the managers, says he is not sure if they will ever return to the island.
“They [the authorities] put us in a position where they are making it look like this is our fault, but that’s not true. We move all around the world, we know the procedures. This is not our first time, but it looks like it’s the first time for them. It’s been a really bad experience. I’m not sure if we will ever return,” he told the DAILY NATION yesterday as his teams stepped up preparations to set up at their new location at the Garrison Savannah.
The circus was last in Barbados two decades ago. Originally located at the Belle in St Michael, it has been embroiled in controversy after being temporarily shut down by health officials on August 9 over issues with being in a restricted water zone.
Permission
However, Suarez said they had sought out all the necessary permissions, only to be shut down at the last minute.
“We had permission from the National Botanical Gardens via the National Conservation Commission, from Customs, from fire, police and town planning, but when health did its inspection, they said something about water and being in a Zone A area.
“This has never happened to us like this before. In every country, they have to do the proper inspections, but in this case, they gave us no chance, just told us to leave. At least they gave us another option and permission to set up here,” he said of the Garrison, where workmen were building the foundation for the relocated circus. The Savannah has been fenced off almost in its entirety as large container trucks traversed to and fro.
The circus manager said he was pleased with the Garrison, saying it was a central location, and that there would be parking provided on the nearby rugby field. However, he lamented the loss of earnings, which he said they would likely not be able to recoup.
“The damage to our reputation had already been done, and people would be frustrated having bought tickets only to be told the circus was closed. Still, a lot of people are supporting us and want to see a later show rather than get a refund, although those who came to the country specifically for the show and who now have to leave must get back their money.
“I want the public to know that any ticket already bought is valid for any other day we are open, and we are very grateful to the people of Barbados who still want to support us and are leaving a lot of good comments on social media. I just wish we were told about this location when we applied, so we could have come here first and avoided trouble,” he said.
Suarez said the big top should be up by tomorrow, and their next shows would begin on Friday. However, there was a race day planned for Saturday, so they would only have the 8 p.m. show then.
He said the original plan was to stay until September 27, but this was up in the air given the circumstances, adding they were due in the Dominican Republic in October.
The race day was confirmed by chief executive officer of the Barbados Turf Club, Rosette Peirce: “We plan to have races on August 22 as scheduled and to cancel the race day of September 5.”
When contacted, president of the Barbados Rugby Football Union, Donovan Bagwell, declined to comment.
Not everyone is happy with the move, as a viral video circulating on WhatsApp shows an irate man in what appears to be a meeting at the Garrison, saying there were other venues supposedly under discussion and the Garrison was not the right place for the circus. (CA)
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