Roll up, roll up: Magic and Mayhem comes to town

Over 2,000 Rainbows and Brownies enjoyed a weekend with all the fun of the circus at our Activity Centres across the UK

17 July 2017

Tonnes of fun for leaders and girls at our circus-themed extravaganza

Excited girls and their leaders descended upon Blackland Farm, Foxlease and Waddow Hall, ready to kick-start a fantastic fun-filled day.

Greeted by the sight of a massive circus big top and a fab range of activities on offer, girls had the chance to enjoy some firm favourites as well as have a go at some brand new adventures for the first time – with expert instructors on hand, of course.

Get on your feet

Thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, girls had lots of brilliant activities to get stuck into!

It’s a good set of activities for girls which are not easily accessible at other places. It’s not very easy to access things like climbing, and it’s impossible to access all in one place – but you can here today. – Helena, leader in training, 6th Hove Rainbows

Excitable screams could be heard as girls were let loose on the inflatables, and everyone – including Leaders! - got their groove on with funky dance masterclasses.

The inflatables have been the best bit but I want to do rock climbing and the trampolining too. – Summer, 5th North Dulwich Brownies
My Leader looked silly doing the Cha Cha Slide! – Lily, 4th Barnard Castle Brownies

Scaling new heights

In the physical zone, girls could test their bravery on the heights of the climbing wall, and inside our tunnelling activity. Bungee trampolining was a big hit, and girls channelled their inner Robin Hood by trying their hand at archery. 

I liked doing the tunnelling – it was scary but fun. – Tabitha, 1st Dorking Rainbows
My best bit was the climbing wall. I got near the top but then I couldn’t reach out for one of them. When you get near the top they are very far apart. I went really high but it wasn’t scary! – Lauren, 3rd Dorchester Brownies

Magic and making

Girls were treated to a special magic show and were even let into some of the magician’s secrets!

Rolls-Royce, one of our partners, helped girls make lava lamps with simple household ingredients – with lots of Leaders getting the recipe to take back to their unit meetings. And our partner SGN challenged girls to work as a team and test their engineering skills by building 3D structures using spaghetti, straws, sticky tack and marshmallows!

All the fun of the circus

Not only did the big top provide the place for a very special sleepover, but during the day the girls had the chance to have a go at tonnes of circus skills, like hula hooping, juggling, unicycling and plate spinning. By giving each other a helping hand, girls also walked the tightrope and tottered around on stilts!

The girls all really loved the circus activities, especially the younger ones. – Trudy, Leader in Training, 6th Hove Rainbows
I liked the plate balancing best. – Rosa, 6th Hove Rainbows

A very special sleepover

Camping – but not as you know it! The big top, a hive of activity during the day, filled with Rainbows and Brownies (and their dancing shoes) for a disco, before they settled down for a special sleepover after a jam-packed day.


It’s a good taster of going away for younger girls and for volunteers who have never been on a guiding night away before - like me! The girls loved it and now they’re really keen to go on another overnight trip. – Alice, Unit Helper, 5th North Dulwich Brownies

Thumbs up all round

With rave reviews from Magic and Mayhem first-timers and from those who’d come back for more, why not bring your girls along next year?

The instructors and volunteers are full of energy, from the moment we arrived! They’ve been great at chatting to the girls and keeping them entertained, which makes it a lot easier for us to do the practical bits!  Alison, Brown Owl, 1st and 2nd Dorking Rainbows
The girls have had lots of freedom: they’ve been empowered to do things that they haven’t been able to do before and they feel safe. The organisation has been perfect. Really, really brilliant – I can’t fault it. – Sharon, Leader in Training, 1st Crossways Rainbows and Brownies Unit
I can’t praise the organisation enough, both before and during the event. Everything was so well planned and yet it was also really relaxed. My Brownies had a brilliant time and enjoyed all of the activities, but also had a lot of time to just have fun and bond with each other. – Elaine, Leader, 4th Reigate Brownies

Join the magic and mayhem

Tickets for Magic and Mayhem 2018 are now on sale! Join us at one of our national Activity Centres on 9-10 June for a fun-filled weekend for you and your girls. 

Find out more