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, kicking off a two-year tour with a new, more modern sensibility. This time, there’s no ringmaster. Animal performers have been eliminated from the proceedings, resulting in an estimated 60% drop in mid-act, onstage bowel evacuations. Perhaps most importantly, thanks to a decades-long shift in attitudes toward men in disguises smiling wordlessly at children, all of the clowns are gone.
What’s left? Enthusiasm, talent, and modernized Americana showmanship, that’s what. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus promises hours of exceptional performances – featuring breathtaking stunts, acrobatics, choreography, and traditionally clown-y acts minus the face paint and promises that you’ll float, too. There’s also a robot dog. Everyone loves a robot dog.
Where can you see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus?
Here’s a look at the shows that the circus has booked so far:
Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum – Oct 13 – 15, 2023
Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena – Oct 20 – 22, 2023
Cincinnati, OH – Heritage Bank Center – Oct 27 – 29, 2023
Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena – Nov 3 – 5, 2023
Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center – Nov 10 – 12, 2023
Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena – Nov 17 – 19, 2023
Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena – Nov 24 – 26, 2023
Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Dec 1 – 3, 2023
St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center – Dec 9 – 10, 2023
Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center – Dec 15 – 17, 2023
Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena – Jan 5 – 7, 2024
Orlando, FL – Amway Center – Jan 12 – 15, 2024
Jacksonville, FL – Veterans Memorial Arena – Jan 19 – 21, 2024
Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena – Jan 27 – 28, 2024
Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum – Feb 2 – 4, 2024
Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Feb 9 – 11, 2024
Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center – Feb 16 – 19, 2024
Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center – Feb 22 – 25, 2024
Newark, NJ – Prudential Center – Feb 29 – Mar 3, 2024
Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena – Mar 8 – 10, 2024
Bridgeport, CT – Total Mortgage Arena – Mar 15 – 17, 2024
Boston, MA – Agganis Arena – Mar 28 – Apr 7, 2024
Worcester, MA – DCU Center – Apr 12 – 14, 2024
Wilkes Barre, PA – Mohegan Sun Arena – Apr 19 – 21, 2024
Providence, RI – Amica Mutual Pavilion – Apr 26 – 28, 2024
Hartford, CT – XL Center – May 3 – 5, 2024
Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center – May 10 – 12, 2024
Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center – Mar 22 – 24, 2024
Interested parties can check out ticket prices here. Additionally, shows in multiple cities — like Phoenix, AZ, Austin, TX, and Ontario, CA — have been announced, with dates and specifics still in the works.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus packed up its tents for what was thought to be the last time in 2017, following years of allegations of animal cruelty and declining ticket sales. Their new format aims to bring the show’s roughly 150 years of tradition into the new millennium, allaying the concerns of the public and moving “at the speed of TikTok,” according to company COO Juliette Feld Grossman’s recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning.
Across a litany of names and iterations and putting aside the five-year hiatus, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has been performing across the United States since 1871. It purports to be “the Greatest Show on Earth,” but honestly, have you seen Yellowjackets?