One week after being forced to abruptly vacate its original performance site at the Belle, Mexico-based Suarez Brothers Circus is preparing to welcome audiences again this Friday at a new location: Barbados’ Garrison Savannah. The disruptive eviction and subsequent relocation follow a week of tense negotiations between circus management and Barbadian government officials, which has finally resolved the controversy surrounding the circus’ right to operate on the island.
The original site at the Belle sits within Zone A, the country’s largest protected groundwater recharge area where most forms of development are strictly prohibited to prevent contamination of the island’s drinking water supply. For circus manager Ivan Suarez, the entire disruption could have been completely avoided if relevant government agencies had flagged the location’s protected status from the very beginning of the permitting process.
Speaking in an interview with Barbados TODAY, Suarez explained that the circus was shut down just 48 hours after opening to the public, despite the company completing what it believed were all required pre-operation checks and approvals. Two weeks prior to the opening, public health officials completed a standard inspection without issue, but returned just one day later to order an immediate halt to all operations. “I’m not really clear, but they said something about the water table; they didn’t tell us that from the beginning, but after they told us we have to move the circus from there,” Suarez said.
Suarez had visited the Belle site weeks before the rest of the circus crew arrived in Barbados to confirm all preparations were on track, and noted Barbados Water Authority staff already installing pumps on site. Assuming the work was connected to the water access the circus had formally requested, the team moved ahead with setup – only to later discover they would not be granted access to piped water at the location. The circus quickly arranged for water access from an adjacent property owner, but the temporary fix did not resolve the core issue: the entire site fell within Zone A, a protected drinking water exclusion zone that prohibits non-essential development to prevent contamination of underground aquifers.
While Suarez made clear he remains deeply frustrated by the mismanaged initial permitting process, he praised government agencies for stepping in to support the relocation effort to Garrison Savannah. “I’m not satisfied with the way that it initially happened because they should tell us before, but right now they are helping us a lot to get relocated. They gave us support in all the attempts to get the location; obviously, we have to apply again for all the permissions we had for the Belle location,” he said.
The company had already paid for all required permits and inspections across multiple government departments before setting up at the Belle, and never received any warning that the location was off-limits. For the new Garrison Savannah site, the circus has had to repeat the entire permitting process from scratch, covering new inspections from fire safety officials, public health teams and police, as well as securing additional approvals from the Planning Department, Ministry of Housing, and the Garrison Savannah Turf Club. Suarez added that the Planning Department initially only required the circus to post notice of its intended use of the Belle rather than submit a full formal application, leaving the team unaware they were operating without full approval.
The full financial cost of the week-long shutdown, forced relocation, and issued refunds remains unknown, and Suarez said the company is still calculating the total impact of the disruption. “Right now we don’t have a figure to say how much, and we don’t know how much in the end it’s gonna cost because the effect that this matter will have… it’s bad publicity in the end from the people who purchased tickets, the move-in location, the days that we lost; in the end we don’t know how much this is going to be,” he said. Despite the added costs from the relocation, Suarez gave a formal assurance that ticket prices will remain unchanged for the run of shows.
Many ticketholders have opted to hold onto their tickets rather than request refunds, waiting for the circus to reopen instead. For those who have requested refunds, Suarez explained the processing timeline can take between four and seven days due to standard payment processing procedures, a delay that has drawn minor complaints from some customers – though the delay is not within the circus’ control.
As the 50-person circus crew rushes to complete setup at Garrison Savannah in time for Friday’s opening, the team is also monitoring weather conditions as a tropical system moves across Barbados. Authorities from the environmental health division and the Barbados Meteorological Services have asked the circus to confirm its bad weather contingency plans, and Suarez said the team is fully prepared for any conditions. “We saw before that the bad weather is going to be on Saturday. As you can see, we have all the containers already on the venue; the tent is up, so it’s gonna be easy to handle at this point. The area is gonna be clear, and it’s gonna be easy to handle the situation,” he said.
Suarez added that the team has been greatly encouraged by the outpouring of support from the Barbadian public, which has followed the circus’ situation closely on social media. The Suarez Brothers Circus has been bringing its annual run of shows to Barbados for 20 years, and Suarez said the team remains committed to putting on a successful run for local audiences. “We have a very good feeling because we have very good support from the people from Barbados. They are keeping up on social media; they were keeping up with what’s going on, why they stopped the circus, why we moved from there, where we’re going to move now, when we’re going to start. So we have good feedback from the people. Let’s hope that the people just come and enjoy the show. We are very grateful for the response from the people of Barbados,” he said.
The circus is currently scheduled to run through September 20, and Suarez confirmed the team is hoping to secure permission to extend its run beyond that date, though a final decision from authorities is still pending. The company has apologized to the public for the confusion and disruption, and formally invited audiences to attend the new run starting August 21 at Garrison Savannah. Due to a pre-scheduled horse racing event at Garrison Savannah, only one show will be held this Saturday at 8 pm, after a compromise was reached between the circus and event organizers to allow the performance to proceed. To improve the patron experience, the new site will feature two entrances, including a purpose-built gravel walkway to protect guests from mud and wet grass after rain.