What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Fantastic Evening

  Verity C,,Feb 21, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Fantastic experience. A show that will make you laugh one minute and gasp the next. Wonderful talented cast and a very well organised evening. This was the last night of our trip and it was the perfect way to end it. Highly recommended.

• Entertaining circus

  kathmariner,,Feb 21, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Really entertaining and lively definitely worth a visit .it also supports local kids in school -but book it with getyourguide.com not a travel agency -it was half the price our travel company was going it and we got better seats !

  

  

• Vibrant, silky, and quick paced acrobatic fun!

  janehB6026SM,,Feb 20, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Do not skip this in Siem Reap. These talented students are learning visual arts, music, theater, and circus/acrobatic arts of ancient Cambidia for free through a project founded by 9 refugees of the Khmer Rouge which had targeted and killed many intellectuals and artists. There is a food court and a boutique of products crafted by locals and other Cambodians. Do yourself a favor and a good deed for the world and go to this show.

  

  

  

• Non-a/c, covered, backless bleacher-like seating

  FoodyReviewer,,Feb 20, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Not the most comfortable of seating having to sit and watch. Suppose comfort is subjective. Perhaps once the spectacular show starts, the focus of discomfort is overshadowed. The show itself is great. We caught the ‘Same Same But Different’ act. Basically all people globally are people, living similarly, just in different conditions. The purpose re: training young Cambodians in the arts/theatre…. Nice to know, coming and watching, is supporting the group’s cause. We came as a group. Seats were ‘open’ so just first come first serve in that section.

  

• A fab evening's entertainment!

  MollysMum50,,Feb 20, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We had a really great evening 🙂 We had a lemongrass/vodka cocktail whilst we waited for the show to start - can't remember the name of it but it was very nice! The big top doors opened at 7.30pm - we had booked seats in Section B and chose to sit on the top tier of seats, which worked out well for us - a good view and reasonably comfortable. We saw 'Same but Different' and thoroughly enjoyed it. We didn't understand every storyline but it was typically Cambodian - completely chaotic and lots of fun! The children on the front row all seemed to be having the best time!

• Distinctly Underwhelming

  Dark C,,Feb 19, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  I love the whole concept behind this unique synthesis of art, culture, and social welfare. So I didn't hesitate when ordering tickets (about a month before we travelled to Siem Reap) to spend a little extra and buy the top tier tickets (Preferred Reserved Group A). We arrived at the venue early with the intention of dining at the Phare Café before the show. After a congenial welcome at the ticket office, we walked into the gift shop and ambled about looking at some quite intriguing pieces produced by Phare art students. I saw a couple of pieces I really liked but knew I'd have difficulty packing them into our luggage. The exit from the gift shop led into the café with its large, outdoor seating area. Our decision to eat here was a good one! There was a varied selection of dishes, with prices only slightly higher than what we'd seen at the restaurants around our hotel. And the food was excellent! We also took advantage of their two-for-one "happy hour" cocktail special. Their Spiked Lemongrass Lemonade was simply amazing. Just as we finished dinner, the pre-show started: traditional dances performed by young students (I'd guess 8-12 years old). It was quite charming. During the pre-show, people seated in the "B" and "C" sections started to queue, and we were so glad that with reserved seats we could relax and enjoy the dancing rather than having jump up and find our place in line. We had front row seats once inside the "big top" and eagerly awaited the main performance. The venue has a simple, rustic charm. It was smaller than I had envisioned (330 seats according to Google AI), so it also had a cozy, intimate feel. Indeed, with front row seats, we were at times mere inches from the performers. The bench style stadium seating was comfortable enough, though being in my late 60s, towards the end of the show I was wishing our seats had a back rest. Now, as for the show itself, please note that I'm basing my comments on the performance we saw that night, "Same Same But Different," which just happened to be what was playing the week of our visit to Siem Reap. Other shows are offered. Had we attended the week before or after, we'd have seen a different show and perhaps my review here would be entirely different. I'd summarize the main elements of the show as a melange of acrobatics, dance, juggling, gymnastics, and slapstick comedy. The overall result insofar as entertainment value was, for me personally, disctinctly underwhelming. I must emphasize that the performers were incredible. The talent on display was superb. My critique here is respectfully focussed on the show's design, not the artists. I'll admit that my response to the show has much to do my expectations. What usually comes to mind when I think of the word "circus" was not a prominent part of the what we experienced, perhaps only 3-4 pieces. Those pieces were very well executed, but overall, I'd estimate to be less than 20% of the show. There was lots of juggling, some of which was brilliantly original (three artists juggling 12-15 balls as the balls are bounced off a pad on the floor). But there's nothing original, or even particularly skillful, about juggling 3-5 bowling pins. The piece that involved four artists juggling plates back and forth during a mime picnic was just odd. The gymnastic pieces demonstrated the artists' extraordinary strength, balance, and flexibility, but in my opinion, occupied much too much of the show. If it was up to me, I'd cut entirely the mother/daughter piece; its beautiful, expressive artistry was well noted, but to me it evoked more ballet than circus. As for the actual dance, I was dazzled by the "laundry basin" piece - it was hugely original. But the break dancing piece? I must confess that inwardly I was rolling my eyes. I remember seeing better break dancing on the streets of Manhattan when I visited New York in the 1980s, just kids having fun, throwing a piece of cardboard on the sidewalk and letting loose. To Phare's production designer: sorry, but cut! Please! Cut also much of the comedy pieces, or more accurately, attempted comedy. The piece with the chef and restaurant guests was, for me, at first perplexing, then exasperating as it seemed to be both pointless and interminable. Also please cut the "giving up his hat" piece; less interminable but equally pointless. Comedy is an important element, yes, but the slapstick, sometimes bawdy, bespoke more vaudeville than circus. I guess in the final analysis, I'd expected to be wowed, to be holding my breath, to be amazed, to walk through the exit doors to our waiting tuk-tuk thinking, "that was the most incredible thing I've ever seen!" In fact, there were those moments during the show, but just a handful. Were we to visit Siem Reap again (which is likely, we both really enjoyed our first-time visit here), we'd definitely give Phare another try. I'd be more than happy to write a 5/5 review.

• Great experience!

  K7124DLjillc,,Feb 18, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  The circus was very fun. Their acrobatic talents were amazingly impressive. Entertaining from start to finish. It was funny too!

• Amazing show in Siem Reap!

  Jeanne T,,Feb 18, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Go see this show!! Incredible acrobatics, showmanship, and theater. Dinner ahead of time in the food court area was delicious as well. My favorite night in Siem Reap. I wish we could go again. Note: I found earplugs to be helpful, as it was a bit loud. But hey...it's a circus!! To be expected!!

• This is a really great...

  Chanchal L,,Feb 17, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  4.00

  This is a really great effort to commercialize local sporting capabilities with a social upliftment of the local population. However, the staff (coupon counter & drink kiosk) were little disappointed seeing brown/black skin (ourselves) among mostly white people.

• The issue tickets

  bunyongr,,Feb 16, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  It's sad Feb 16th I have already paid by ABA Bank transferred online for 4 adults but the new staffs refused to issue me 4 tickets for my customers. Keep asking the same question did i have pay yet ? I have done it already. Where did the money i had paid go ? Who was in charge this payment online? Why did the staffs at ticket office know nothing? They don't know how to work properly like old staffs. I think the manager should train themselves well.

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