Circus comes to San Mateo County

“This is our 16th annual circus in the park show,” he said. “It’s called Hoopla — it’s kind of about silliness, spontaneity and celebration of life.”

In San Bruno, shows sponsored by the San Bruno Community Foundation will be June 28 at noon and 2 p.m. In Menlo Park, the city is sponsoring two July 4 shows, one at noon and another at 2 p.m.

Guests are welcome free of charge and can bring picnics, blankets and low chairs to watch the circus in style. All 21 shows that Circus Bella puts on are free admission, but the quality is completely professional, Munn said, comparing it to the work of Cirque de Soleil.

“It’s not watered down because it’s free,” she said. “You’re going to see the best show we can possibly create.”

The 60-minute show will feature a strongman bending pans and steel bars on his neck, a foot juggler who can juggle tables on her feet, aerialists and acrobats with death-defying tricks and the delightful pantomiming of a clown. The show also features live music — the Circus Bella All-Star Band performs throughout.

Munn, who leads the circus as the ring master, said that the performance and artistry of the circus can bring audiences together.

“I think there’s something kind of universal about it,” she said. “When we see a performer up high in the air doing something, we gasp a little bit. We all have that same feeling together.”

In San Bruno and Menlo Park, Circus Bella will be bringing whimsical, spangled entertainment to residents for the first time. But in other cities along the tour, the circus coming to town has become a yearly tradition.

“This is part of what I’m really celebrating — it becomes a community event. A lot of our locations we go to year after year after year. The kids have grown up with us,” she said. “There’s this celebratory day when the circus comes into town.”

The Circus Bella summer tour will last around four months, Munn said, and then the group will set up a circus tent in downtown San Francisco in the winter.