For generations Zippos circus has been rolling into town on a yearly basis to entertain the people of Brighton. Jamie Walker caught up with acrobat Paulo Dos Santos to find out what this year has in store

Zippos Circus is a yearly staple in Brighton and Hove.

Its recognisable red big top has graced the grass on the seafront for decades.

Now it is bringing the show back to the city this year to celebrate 250 years of the circus.

The Legacy tour is coming to Hove Lawns for 12 days at the end of August and is sure to draw the same excited crowds.

The history of the circus has been much documented.

It was started in 1768 by Philip Astley, an English soldier and horseman, as a small ring in London and has grown into the spectacle that we see today.

Paulo Dos Santos, a Capoeira acrobat at Zippos, spoke about his honour at celebrating two and a half centuries of circus: “I love the circus tradition because we have acrobats, candy floss, popcorn, all the traditions of the circus.

“We have the Cossack riders who do some amazing acrobatics with their horses.”

He believes the talent at Zippos now is perfectly built for the years to come.

“The circus is special because we are the future, and we have the future here,” he says.

“We have some amazing acts in the show that you will want to see.”

Paulo started training in Capoeira in his native Brazil at the age of 19.

Standing at 3ft 11inches tall, Paulo was initially mocked for wanted to take up the art of dance fighting but soon managed to prove his doubters wrong.

“Everybody was discriminating me because of my size,” he says.

“I started doing the movements and everybody started laughing because of my size.

“My teacher saw me and stopped everybody, telling them not to do it.

“He took me away to a separate place and in one year I was the national Capoeira competition in Brazil.

“That made everybody change their minds about my size and about how you treat other people.

“The message is that it doesn’t matter your size, or your colour, you need to treat people the same.”

Paulo has been at Zippos for around a year and a half, but has performed across the world with circuses in the past.

Having been predominantly based in America, he said that is was the pull of touring Europe that made him want to move to Zippos.

“Zippos is a very good family circus.

“My dream was to work in a traditional circus in Europe.

“This is my first time in Europe and it’s so good, I’m so glad.”

When he’s not performing his act Paulo also likes to take some time to give back to the community, visiting people to inspire them with his story.

“Sometimes I like to visit hospitals,” he says.

“I tell the children my experiences that they can take with them as they grow up. For me it’s very good. I love to show the kids that they can do anything. You meet kids with disabilities and with other problems. I show them my Capoeira and I hope that my energy can make their kids feel better.”

Paulo is encouraging people to get down and witness the spectacle that the circus offers.

“Come and see us. We’re a traditional circus and we’ll be making our show Legacy a celebration.

“We also have Norman Barrett, the world’s greatest ringmaster, and some incredible performers.”