JD Aerial Fitness Academy - Liverpool

What it’s like

Kids' circus classes on real aerial apparatus, plus birthday parties where the whole group has a go on the equipment.

This is a proper circus school, not a soft play with a bit of climbing. Kids get taught on aerial apparatus, learning circus skills alongside separate aerial fitness and pole classes running for older students and adults. It's aimed at seven and up, and that age line is firm: under-sevens aren't allowed into the group aerial fitness classes at all, only private lessons with a parent in the room for the first session.

Everything runs on advance booking, and there's no paying on the door, no cash handled on site. That's fine if you plan ahead, less fine if you fancy turning up on a whim. The stricter catch is what happens if you can't make it: miss a booked class and you forfeit it, no refund, no carrying it over to another week. Private lessons are a bit more forgiving, you can shift those if you give 48 hours notice, but leave it later than that and you're paying anyway.

For a birthday, they'll do a kids circus party: ten people for £200, extra spots at £15 each up to a maximum of twenty, and you get an hour and a half working through the circus apparatus as a group. That's a proper chunk of time for a party, long enough that nobody's watching the clock, and different enough from the usual soft play do that it'll actually get talked about at school on Monday.

One practical thing worth knowing before class day: no moisturisers, lotions or oils for 24 hours beforehand, which matters more here than most places given kids will be gripping bars and fabric. Safety kit is taken seriously too, with load tested equipment and a full derig every six months.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

Age 7 up; younger kids need a private lesson with a parent

Parties

Kids circus parties for 10 people for £200, extra places £15 per person, maximum 20 per party, 1.5 hours learning circus apparatus

• Under-sevens can only do private lessons, not the group classes
• New students fill in a medical disclaimer before their first session
• Equipment is load tested with a full derig every six months
• Booking has to be done in advance online, there's no paying on the door

Plan your visit

See all Circus & Street Performance in Liverpool · Things to do in Liverpool