Blizzard – Southbank Centre, London

Concept: FLIP Fabrique

Director: Olivier Normand

It’s not often the UK has a record-breaking heatwave in the middle of May – so what better way to cool down than by being blown away by FLIP Fabrique’s brrrr-illiant Winter themed acrobatic performance.

At the start of the show, audiences are told to wrap up and be wary of the incoming chill, with snowy conditions and poor visibility from the Blizzard on its way. What follows is a variety of impressive circus-style performances, all compiled around the theme of Winter. A live pianist (Ben Nesrallah) on stage provides the music throughout, which works fantastically well alongside the performances, ensuring each song aptly sets the tone – be it joyful and silly alongside the clown-like comedy sketches, or beautiful and poignant during the more daring aerial skill showcases.

The performers are all extremely talented, making their skills look easy and effortless, despite them needing an incredible level of strength, accuracy and trust to pull off their routines without a hitch. One standout performance is the trampolining trio, who gracefully sync a routine jumping on and off the large box-frame that centres the stage, eliciting genuine awe from the audience as they narrowly avoid colliding with each other and landing on the small platform edge with expert precision. Another mesmerising routine is the aerial hoops, which sees two performers spinning and soaring through the air with remarkable synchronicity, their balance and elegance astounding as they get as close as they can to humans in flight.

Olivier Normand’s direction cleverly balances out the varying performances, ensuring each of the performers gets a solo moment in the spotlight, while also combining as an ensemble. There are some moments, such as the short shovel snowball juggling, that feel slightly too fleeting and would benefit from more time or pushing the boundaries a little more to really elevate the production, though, as a whole, the pacing and variety between performances are executed well.

Runs until 31 May 2026

Blizzard by FLIP Fabrique is part of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary programme.