potts park Expands Live Entertainment with "Hops & Hopsi"
A new chapter for the long-standing clown and interactive program: The second generation of “Hops and Hopsi” is moving to potts park in Minden | Photo: Christian Rock.
(eap) Clowning, juggling and magic art: potts park Minden in Germany is expanding its family-oriented entertainment offering with the clown theatre “Hops und Hopsi”. With interactive shows and creative hands-on formats, the two characters are set to appeal primarily to young visitors and their families at the park.
The Hops und Hopsi Kinderprogramm (children’s program) looks back on a history spanning more than 40 years. It was founded in 1980 by the performer couple Lothar and Monika Klich, who performed with their programmes on stages, in kindergartens, primary schools and leisure parks throughout Germany over many years. Hops und Hopsi became particularly well known at Berlin’s Spreepark Plänterwald amusement park, where they presented new programmes every year from 1992 to 2001.
Christopher Flade, who continues the characters today, first encountered Hops und Hopsi as a child in a leisure park himself. For many years, the two clowns are said to have accompanied him, taught him juggling, magic art and the craft of clowning, and fostered his talent. He had reportedly been convinced early on that the concept suited leisure parks well – and potts park in particular. “Having experienced the two clowns myself as a child in a leisure park, I immediately knew that the concept was a perfect fit for leisure parks. That is why I applied directly to various German parks in 2014 – starting with potts park in Minden. Unfortunately, I received a rejection at the time because the park did not yet have enough visitors for live entertainment.”
At the end of 2024, the contact with potts park was re-established. The park became aware of Hops und Hopsi online and asked whether the team could support the park in the area of social media. With more than 223,000 followers on TikTok, Hops und Hopsi are now also among Germany’s family entertainers with a strong digital reach. Following joint filming days, the idea of a long-term collaboration developed.
For Flade, this brings things full circle: “We may have moved to Minden twelve years late, but better late than never. potts park and Hops und Hopsi are simply a perfect match.” ■
