She’s been thinking about nothing else for days – Lia can hardly wait to ride a pony and meet Hugo the clown. Her parents are making her long-held dream come true. She will be celebrating her 7th birthday in the big top with 5 friends.
Frederic the ringmaster is getting everything ready for the party in the circus ring. He wants it all to be perfect for little Lia. Children have a special place in his heart and there’s nothing better than seeing young visitors leave the big top with their eyes lit up. Frederic sometimes wishes that he could still have such a vivid imagination.
Luisa is also using plenty of imagination to prepare her party snacks. She has conjured up some very special treats for the kids. There’s already a delicious smell of baking coming from the circus kitchen. But to start with, the little troupe will tuck into chickpea fries with rosemary yoghurt and basil falafels with avocado cream. To quench their thirst, Luisa has created a refreshing flower and herb cordial – colourful, tasty and home-made.
Luisa is just cooking her freshly made fries when Lia arrives at the circus with her parents and friends. The children are already highly excited. With beaming faces and laden with presents for the birthday girl, they take a look around Zugolino. The kids are immediately captivated by the dream world of the circus. And when they spot the party corner with its bright decorations and platefuls of tasty treats, their joy knows no bounds.
Frederic welcomes the group and starts the party off with a shower of colourful confetti from high up in the big top. Lia is thrilled. The fries and falafels taste fantastic and everything looks so lovely. And when Hugo the clown makes the kids laugh with his hilarious clown routine, the party really gets going.
After the food, it’s time for Lia’s highlight: a pony ride for all the kids with Henry the horse-whisperer. For Lia it’s a dream come true – the best birthday ever. And it’s about to get even better: after the pony rides, Lilly the tightrope walker shows the girls how to do a pirouette while Timo teaches the boys to juggle with different objects. That takes a lot of concentration and is rather tiring.
Luisa knows that, which is why the kind soul is already getting the dessert buffet ready. Attracted by the delicious aroma of freshly baked cakes, the kids come running. With raspberry meringues, colourful carrot cupcakes, a banana and vanilla cake and home-made ice-cream, it’s heaven for hungry mouths. The children, Lia’s parents and Lilly, Timo and Henry happily help themselves to dessert from the buffet.
While some of the guests treat themselves to another cupcake, Lia is finally allowed to open her presents. The little circus fan’s eyes light up at each new gift: great games, a pair of new trainers and a fabulous picture book. But there’s one present she is particularly delighted by: “A riding helmet!” Lia can hardly believe that her parents are treating her to riding lessons.
Meanwhile, as one dream after another comes true for Lia, the artistes are preparing for their circus show. They too make dreams come true and whisk the children off to a world full of fantasy. A perfect end to a perfect birthday. Later in the evening, Lia falls asleep exhausted but overjoyed, and dreams of life in the circus – as a horse-whisperer or perhaps a tightrope walker after all? …