What is Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s circus plan?
After five years, emerging from a haze of elephant empathy and Skarsgård-induced coulrophobia, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is back on the road, starting a two-year tour with a new, more modern sensibility. This time there is no ringmaster. Animal actors were excluded from the process, resulting in an estimated 60 percent decrease in bowel movements while performing on stage. Perhaps most importantly, thanks to a decades-long shift in attitudes toward costumed men who smile wordlessly at children, all clowns are gone.
What’s left? Enthusiasm, talent and modernized American showmanship, that’s it. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus promises hours of extraordinary performances – with breathtaking stunts, acrobatics, choreography and traditional clown-like performances without face paint – promising that you too will float. There is also a robot dog. Everyone loves a robot dog.
Where can you see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus?
Here’s a look at the shows the circus has booked so far:
Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum – October 13-15, 2023
Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena – October 20-22, 2023
Cincinnati, OH – Heritage Bank Center – October 27-29, 2023
Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena – November 3-5, 2023
Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center – November 10-12, 2023
Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena – November 17-19, 2023
Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena – November 24-26, 2023
Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse – December 1-3, 2023
St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center – December 9-10, 2023
Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center – December 15-17, 2023
Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena – January 5-7, 2024
Orlando, FL – Amway Center – January 12-15, 2024
Jacksonville, FL – Veterans Memorial Arena – January 19-21, 2024
Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena – January 27-28, 2024
Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum – February 2-4, 2024
Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena – February 9-11, 2024
Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center – February 16-19, 2024
Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center – February 22-25, 2024
Newark, NJ – Prudential Center – February 29 – March 3, 2024
Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena – March 8-10, 2024
Bridgeport, CT – Total Mortgage Arena – March 15-17, 2024
Boston, MA – Agganis Arena – March 28 – April 7, 2024
Worcester, MA – DCU Center – April 12-14, 2024
Wilkes Barre, PA – Mohegan Sun Arena – April 19-21, 2024
Providence, Rhode Island – Amica Mutual Pavilion – April 26-28, 2024
Hartford, CT – XL Center – May 3-5, 2024
Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center – May 10-12, 2024
Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center – March 22-24, 2024
Those interested can find out more about ticket prices Here. Additionally, shows have been announced in several cities – such as Phoenix, AZ, Austin, TX and Ontario, CA – with dates and details still in the works.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus packed up its tents for what was believed to be its final time in 2017, after years of allegations of animal cruelty and declining ticket sales. Their new format aims to carry the show’s roughly 150-year-old tradition into the new millennium, assuaging public concerns and moving forward “at the pace of TikTok,” according to the company’s COO Juliette Feld Grossman’s recent interview CBS Sunday Morning.
Under a litany of names and iterations, and aside from the five-year hiatus, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has performed throughout the United States since 1871. It claims to be “the greatest show on earth,” but honestly, you’ve seen Yellow jackets?
