Le Grande Cirque at Darien Lake...

When I'm at an amusement park, it's always all about the rides. The restaurants, games, stores, and shows are things I don't even consider bothering with. Especially the shows as I'm not a fan of theater or musical productions. Le Grande Cirque is something completely different though.

Le Grande Cirque is the new show in the Galaxy Theater at Darien Lake. It's free with admission to the park. I heard that if you go to Darien Lake and only see this show, you've still got your money's worth. I was skeptical.

Turns out, it's true. And factual - the only other Le Grande Cirque in North America is in Myrtle Beach at the Palace Theatre. Ticket prices to see the show there range from $28 - $44 for adults. So you're actually getting to see the show at Darien Lake for less than the cost of seeing it in Myrtle Beach AND getting a full day at the park on top of that.

In addition, the show runs up to four times a day at Darien Lake and you could see all four 40-minute performances if you want. That should include all the acts and segments that rotate (as every show is different with the acts being swapped out throughout the day).

Click here to see a video preview of Le Grande Cirque at the Darien Lake website. I'd suggest not watching the whole video though and instead, go see it live. Forget "suggest", I highly recommend it.

The Wheel Of Death is my favorite. The tumbling through the raised loops was incredible (and surprising). The contortionists and acrobats blew my mind. Even the "ringmaster" who never said anything was very entertaining - and that's a shock, as the ringmaster is usually as obnoxious and annoying as clowns (which there are none of in this show - another plus).

And things don't always go exactly as planned during the performance. You really never know what's going to happen, which makes it even more fun as you root for things to work out for the performers.

I'll probably always take a ride on the Silver Bullet on the way to the Galaxy Theater, but this show has managed to pull me from the rides for at least an hour or two while at the park. Go see it soon - it's only here through Labor Day.

And no, this is not a paid commercial for the park. Anyone who knows me well knows Darien Lake is one of my favorite places on the planet already. Le Grande Cirque has done the almost impossible and made Darien Lake even better!