"Winning your favour is our fervent wish" – this was the motto of Carl Krone, the founder of the circus in 1905, and it still holds true today. Breathtaking circus arts, family traditions, entrepreneurship and a love of animals – these are the features that have made Circus Krone the largest, most popular and most successful circus in Europe.

When Austrian partners Bernhard Paul and André Heller took their newly founded Circus Roncalli on its first tour on 18 May 1976, they had an ambitious goal in mind: the renewal of circus. The "greatest poetry in the universe", as they described their circus in the programme, then set off on its acclaimed Journey to the Rainbow tour, captivating audiences from Vienna to Hamburg , Seville to Berlin , Brussels to Copenhagen and Munich to Moscow.

The location of Schmidt's Tivoli (and its nearby sister theatre the Schmidt Theatre) in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg , and specifically on the Reeperbahn, says quite a lot about the theatre itself. Shows at the Tivoli are all about light-hearted entertainment, with a generous helping of offbeat humour. But this is exactly what audiences are after and why they have been flocking to both theatres for more than 30 years now.

If you want to watch Elvis, Bette Midler, Rod Stewart, Dusty Springfield, Michael Jackson and Tina Turner performing live together on a single stage, then this is the show for you. The Estrel in Berlin , Germany's top entertainments venue-cum-hotel, features a host of star impersonators in a show that has been wowing audiences since 1997.

The Altes Theater, an independent, non-subsidised, private theatre in the Baden-Württemberg town of Heilbronn provides the perfect setting for intimate shows that offer top-rate entertainment. The theatre's reputation has spread far and wide from this corner of Baden-Württemberg, and it also boasts a hotel and restaurant, making this a wonderful place for an evening of culture, entertainment and fine dining.

The GOP Variety Theatre Hannover is the only theatre of its kind in Germany still playing at the original 1920s to 1950s site. This is a place where you can admire some of the world's best artistes and acrobats, and laugh along with great comedians, oddball characters and witty compères. A fantastic selection of food and drink only adds to the evening's pleasure. All in all, the GOP can offer you a fantastic night out in Lower Saxony's regional capital Hannover .

Where better to go than the GOP Variety Theatre Essen if you feel like getting away from the daily stresses of life for a few hours and treating yourself to a whole evening of fun, cuisine and live entertainment in one of the finest auditoriums in North Rhine-Westphalia ? With its shows and rich variety of dining options, the theatre has achieved cult status – not only among locals, but also much further afield.