Roll up! Roll up! Sixth generation family circus is back in town

Most 13-year-olds are spending the school holidays hanging out with mates or going to the beach. But not circus star Hudson Lennon.

Most 13-year-olds are spending the school holidays hanging out with mates or going to the beach.

Not Hudson Lennon. The teenager – Australia’s youngest Globe of Death rider – is the fearless face of the family-run Hudson’s Circus, which kicks off on Wednesday January 1 at the Broadwater Parklands.

The sixth-generation performer first hopped into the infamous steel globe at just five years old, trading his bike for a motorbike before he turned seven.

The pint-sized daredevil also earned four yeses on Australia’s Got Talent a few years ago.

“I’m excited to be back performing again in our Grand Opening on the Gold Coast,” Hudson said.

Globerider Hudson Lennon, 13, at Hudson’s Circus. Picture: Glenn Campbell.

Hudson Lennon performing at Hudson’s Circus. Picture: Supplied.

Hudson’s parents, Shane and Nancy, are seasoned circus pros. Shane is a fifth-generation performer from the legendary Lennon family, while Canadian-born trapeze artist Nancy brings a gymnastics background and Cirque du Soleil-level theatrics to the mix. Their younger children, Denver and Gisele, are also in the show.

Mr Lennon cheekily described his son’s signature act as “four homicidal maniacs on motorbikes in a four-metre globe, missing each other by two inches at 60 kilometres per hour.”

The circus promises that this year’s production is packed with “bigger, bolder, better” acts, including a human slinky, Ethiopian roller-skating duo, and the “amazing” Flippin Disk Dogz, plus audience favourites like Goldie the Clown and the Liberty Welsh Ponies.

Zoe the performing Kelpie and her trainer Beau Pearson from Flippin Disk Dogz at Hudson’s Circus, which opens on January 1 at the Broadwater Parklands. Picture: Glenn Campbell.

“We’ve got a lot of new stuff this year,” Mr Hudson said.

They’ve also introduced a special sensory-friendly performance on January 7 – the first from an Australian circus, designed for families with special needs.

“It’s great family fun,” Mr Hudson said. “We’ve got something for everyone.”

Hudson’s Circus runs until January 19.