The Great Yarmouth Hippodrome is one of the last functioning Victorian circus buildings in Britain, and it has been running circus and variety shows since it opened in 1903. The interior is beautiful in the way that only a space designed entirely around spectacle can be — tiered seating curving around a sawdust ring, a painted roof, and the particular smell of a building that has seen a century of performance.
The summer season runs from late May through September with circus acts, comedy, and the famous water spectacular where the ring floods for aquatic acts. It is thoroughly family entertainment, done with skill and a complete absence of irony. Booking ahead is strongly recommended in July and August.