Circus Icon Ringling Bros. Says Goodbye After 146 Years

NBCNews.com ^ | May 21 2017, | Daniella Silva

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

UNIONDALE, New York — Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus folded up its Big Top for the last time on Sunday night in New York, as emotional performers, wistful crowd-goers and ecstatic protesters said farewell to an institution in American live entertainment after nearly a century and a half.

The circus gave the final performance of "The Greatest Show on Earth" to a sold-out crowd at Nassau Coliseum, showing off its death-defying stunts and exotic animals for the last time after 146 years.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Sad news. If you see animal rights activists and kids are around let the children know those are the people to blame as to why you can't see a circus anymore.

[GnuThere]

I wonder if anyone would watch a traveling circus featuring animal rights activists...

[Salman]

Nonsense. It's still legal and there will still be smaller circuses.

It's the operation of the free market. Not enough people wanted to see the Ringling circus to justify the production cost. They had been losing money for years.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Less people wanted to see them after the elephant acts were shut down to please the animal rights jerks.

[Drago]

Sunday’s final performance was live streamed, here is the replay:

https://youtu.be/KGkHv8dsPsE

[Spktyr]

Yeah, the last pictures I’ve seen of a Ringling show showed a mostly empty house/seating area despite supposedly being the potential prime time for a show. I’ve also not heard of much interest from children or adults in going to a circus in recent years either. If you want to see the animals, there are now better venues to see them in and if you want to see human performers there are better venues for them as well. Many of which are climate controlled - who wants to sit in a hot tent sweating various parts of your anatomy off to watch performing animals in the height of the summer?

[clearcarbon]

"I wonder if anyone would watch a traveling circus featuring animal rights activists..."

If that was the only opportunity one might have to see them outside a cage, it could be a popular attraction.

[SMGFan]

“Join The Circus “ Barnum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc-9KiBRYps

[Alberta's Child]

I agree with you. The circus seems like an entertainment spectacle for a different era.

[castlegreyskull]

I never went to a Ringling Brothers circus that was in a tent, and I have went to them in the 1980’s, and every year since 2007.

[Spktyr]

They resumed performances in a tent in 2009 - selected locations only:

http://millefiorifavoriti.blogspot.com/2009/07/if-you-read-my-prior-blog-post-i-asked.html

[piasa]

Oh well. We still have the circus and freak show that is the Democratic Party.

[castlegreyskull]

I didn’t know that they resumed them in tents. However, that seems like they were promoting it with a nostalgic feel. They were mostly performed in modern arenas. For the most part less than half full. I was rather surprised that they lasted this long. The last time I saw them with elephants, the elephant handler made a speech about how well Ringling Brothers takes care of them. It smelled of desperation.

[piasa]

You can air condition a tent.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Sawit once when I was a kid. Didn’t enjoy it at all.

[Biggirl]

Not surprised.

Anything that the radical life does turns to trash.

[Will88]

Yes, I saw the B&B circus years ago in a minor league baseball ballpark. No tent in sight.

[xp38]

Glad I caught them once. They made a movie about Ringlings back in the 1950s starring Charlton Heston and Jimmy Stewart.

[smileyface]

I can’t believe they will let this brand die. It could be bought and repackaged and made successful.

[xp38]

The bit about changing tastes might refer to the rise of Cirque de Soleil which only uses human performers. They landed permanently in Vegas and have touring shows as well. Big bucks operation these days.