Circus management made the decision the morning of opening night and with no other option of spreading the word, performers were sent into town to spread the word at various shops.

Moscow Circus tour organiser, Greg Hall, apologised to all ticket buyers and said they were really looking forward to performing on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Mr Hall said unfortunately the Tennant Creek shows could not be performed on another date due to a tight six-month touring schedule.

“It takes anywhere from a day to a day and a half to set the big top up, and we can’t take any risks whatsoever with the strong gusts,” he said.

Winds on Monday and Tuesday reached 54 km/h.