Tips on who you should tip.

The Space Cowboy - The Defending Champion

Chayne Hultgren offers a matchless combination of whips, nine-foot unicycles, sword-swallowing, juggling, strutting wit and ceaseless charm.

Mario: Queen of the Circus - The Camp Contender

American performer Mario has stitched an act together out of a super-camp devotion to Freddie Mercury, a tendency to perform duels with fruit, and a surge of rockstar excitement.

Fraser Hooper - The Clown King

An award-winning clown and mime artist, Hooper promises ridiculous routines and a wicked sense of humour.

Senmaru - The Balancing Act

An extraordinary balancing act that defies belief: you simply can't make a teapot on a stick do that.

Tumble Circus - The High Climbers

Performing seven metres in the air, courtesy of the festival's first aerial rig, these Irish-based high- fliers have toured the world with their gravity-shunning routine. National hopes for championship victory ride high on their shoulders.