Zoppé Italian Family Circus is a drive-in affair in Redwood City

The circus, which will run each weekend from Oct. 1 to Oct. 25, will be a drive-in event in a parking lot at the Port of Redwood City. Despite the restrictions of the pandemic, the Zoppé family and Redwood City event planners have made it clear: The show must go on.

The Redwood City Council approved the plan to hold the circus at the port. The port was an ideal location for a drive-in event because of its ample space, scenic views of the Bay, configuration of parking spaces, and lack of trees or lamp posts that would obstruct viewing.

As attendees will be sitting far away from the circus itself, there will be a professional cameraman broadcasting footage of the performances onto a 23-foot LED screen near the stage. Lucas Wilder, who plans events for Redwood City, said that the video will preserve the “up close and personal” experience that audience members would get if they were able to sit closer to the performers.

Additionally, to fill the time between performances, the LED screen will play historical footage of the circus over the years.

As the performances will take place on a stage instead of a ring, some of the performances will be adapted to the modified space. When considering whether to take on a drive-in event, Wilder went to a drive-in Zoppé performance in Ventura and parked in the back row. He was satisfied with the quality of viewing and began the undertaking of planning the Redwood City event.

Wilder said that the circus will include a horse vaulting act, a trapeze artist, a jump rope act, a human cannonball, a “strong man” act and more.

Giovanni Zoppé, the leader and main performer of the circus’ son, was born in Redwood City. The circus and family is “beloved by the community.” Families return year after and bring apples for the horses and gifts for the performers.

Although things this year will be very different, Wilder is glad to keep the tradition going for the city. He added that as admission will be priced on a per-vehicle rather than a per-person basis, the drive-in event is a potential opportunity for less-expensive viewing and to expose new viewers to the circus.

Tickets can be bought at https://aftontickets.com/event/group/14/zoppe-circus and more information can be found at https://www.redwoodcity.org/residents/redwood-city-events/zoppe-italian-family-circus.