Car wash with a show

"Necessity is the mother of invention!" The essence of this old saying has already helped many a company to gain a new foothold. Circus Krone also did not want to accept the crisis without a fight and has at least created a good transitional phase with a new car wash.

For more than a year now, the world's largest circus, by its own account, has been struggling with the coronavirus crisis. A good number of the employees could go on short-time work, but the animals need their daily feed and care. In addition to concern for the animals, General Manager Martin Lacey Jr. also sensed the steadily increasing dejection of the artists. So the idea of opening a fun car wash came at just the right time for everyone. "Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we can not play in Munich or on tour, and yet we see and feel that the circus must carry on performing, especially in times of crisis. Circus is there to make people laugh, switch off and experience happy moments," says Martin Lacey Jr.

Mrs Christel Sembach-Krone already toyed with the idea of running a car wash in Munich in the summer while she was on tour with her circus throughout Germany. This idea was taken up by Martin Lacey Jr., who set about finding out more and created his own, completely new concept, which is first and foremost about entertainment. The funniest car wash in the world. If you drive your car along Circus Krone Square, you can't miss the car wash. Dressed-up bears, pageboys and clowns wave the cars to the right entrance. The passengers remain seated in their cars during the whole spectacle – entirely in accordance with the coronavirus regulations. In front of the entrance, visitors are treated to clowns and jugglers through their car windows.

In addition to the big colourful entrance ticket, there is also popcorn and drinks. Around 25 clowns and artists entertain visitors to the "Clown Car Wash" at the Circus Krone headquarters near the Hackerbrücke in Munich. For some time now, the 90-metre-long conveyor tunnel system has also included a gantry car wash from WashTec. Martin Lacey Jr. explained to me that the show was one thing, but that the quality of the car wash had to be right. "We want to generate a lot of regular customers, and that only works if the washing quality is right.

Containment basins were built, a water conditioning system was installed and, of course, everything was inspected, accepted and approved by the city of Munich. "In addition, we wanted to decorate the wash gantry nicely so that the visitors can enjoy the circus experience to the fullest. The support we received from WashTec was excellent in this respect. Since the installation of the gantry car wash, drivers have also been very satisfied with the wash results," says Martin Lacey Jr.

The show

Before entering the car wash you wait  – how could it be otherwise – in front of a magnificent velvet curtain. From here, each customer is individually waved into and through the car wash. Finally the curtain opens and the car wash show can begin. Typical circus music sounds so loud that you can hear it well despite the car windows being closed. A funny group of clowns parades around the car with water hoses, thick mountains of foam and various water spraying devices and makes the passengers laugh with many capers and shenanigans. The car is first lathered and massaged with soft brushes. Foam hearts drawn on the windscreen, which are later washed off with the high-pressure cleaner, of course, are a particular delight for young female passengers.

After the funny pre-wash, an artist signals to continue into the gantry. The next steps are clearly communicated to the driver with signs and gestures. The gantry car wash then delivers a professional car wash with drying. This is followed by an approximately 3-minute performance by several artists before the car wash with a circus show draws to an end.

It was so nice, by the way, that my granddaughter persuaded me to get right back in line and go through the car wash again with the clean car.

Summary: A great experience for the whole family, starting at 15 euros per car.

carwashinfo, Roland Wunder