Ringling Bros Circus to close

Why would anyone pay big money to go to the circus when they can see a reasonable facsimile for free on C-Span?

My daughter took the grands to the circus last year. They couldn't sit still that long. And the cost of the tickets and the food and doodads almost makes it prohibitive.

I did not realize they had already dropped the elephants. That pretty much doomed it.

OHSCrifle wrote: In reply to EvanR: Not surprising that the dangerous stuff is expensive to insure. Whether Circus of the Sun is profitable or not, the new shows certainly contributed to the demise of RBB+B.

I can give you a clue. A couple of years ago we had a Chinese dance troop that was similar to Cirque come through. While they used our rigging points to hang their trapezes and stuff, we still needed to anchor stuff to the floor to keep them from swinging wildly. Each "point" required a ton of weight to secure. Not a figurative ton, but a literal ton. I know, I moved each and every one of those blocks personally into and out of position

Wow! Just checked circus ticket prices for Greenville SC next month. $200 to take may family. I must pass on that. I guess my kids will never get to see a circus.

Went to the circus when I was a kid, prolly 50 years ago. Not really interested in the animals or the acts.

The mini bikes the clowns were riding were pretty cool tho.

I must be the lone Circus lover here, who is sad to see the end of an era. I kicked around road trip potential to catch one of the last shows.

The family is always impressed by the acrobats, animals, and the overall show. Before the show begins, the characters perform and interact with the kids and are always really great with them.

It is a little on the expensive side but We typically find a ticket package deal for $35 each for decent seats. m If you stay away from the other $ stuff it isn't terrible if the family enjoys it.

If anyone is interested is seeing a small family traveling circus, watch for these guys to come near you.
Cullpepper & Merriwether Circus
Small, one ring, cheap tickets. Yes some of the stuff is a little hokey, but as long as you go into it knowing what you're getting (basically two extended families of circus performers) it's very entertaining. It's kind of the difference between going to your local dirt track and the Indy 500.

I went to see Ringling Bros back in the late 70's and really liked it. In the past 20 years or so, anytime they came to town the focus was on the elephants and not the show itself. It was nuts when they came to Norfolk, VA every year (Where PETA is based). PETA and the protestors got 99% of the media coverage.

Kinda sad to see it go, but it is a relic of the past. PETA will try to claim it as a victory and then have to find some other business to go after.

I'm sad to see them go. They'll be in Atlanta on their last tour, so I'll check what it would cost to take the family.

That said, I've seen both the Ringling and the Big Apple circus, and I agree with Mazdeuce - a scaled down circus is not only cheaper to go to, but puts you closer to the action and you can really only focus on one ring anyway. Sadly, it looks like the Big Apple is in trouble, too.

I remember going multiple times as a kid, and really not liking the smell. From the standpoint of acts, my favorites were the clown car, and the steel sphere the motorcyclists rode in. The animal acts just weren't as interesting to me, even back then.

The traveling circus hasn't been exciting since people could leave their little towns on their own and go to things. Like supercross!

I went once when I was a kid. It was terrible. Acrobats are amazing for 10 minutes. Animals doing stuff animals don't normally do... another 10 tops. Clowns are always a stupid waste of time. Yes. I was that kid. THe one who pointed out to the little kids that the people of Oz were just midgets and the flying monkeys were guys in costumes. I ruin everything. FWIW, I hated Circue du Soleil too. They should perform that stuff as a side show at an concert festival or in the atrium at the mall so you can walk by and watch for a few minutes and not be trapped in an auditorium for a berkeleying lifetime. It's worse than ballet.

trucke wrote: Wow! Just checked circus ticket prices for Greenville SC next month. $200 to take may family. I must pass on that. I guess my kids will never get to see a circus.

That's the one my daughter took the kids to. The tickets pail in comparison to the food and trinkets.

Huckleberry wrote: The traveling circus hasn't been exciting since people could leave their little towns on their own and go to things.

You nailed it right there.

article said: But as the 20th century went on, kids became less and less enthralled. Movies, television, video games and the internet captured young minds. The circus didn’t have savvy product merchandising tie-ins or Saturday morning cartoons to shore up its image.

That is a pretty big stretch. Times change. Back when all you had was a hoop and a stick to keep kids entertained a circus was a big deal. Heck, I bet the proliferation of movie theaters and rock and roll concerts had more to due with the downfall of the circus than "product merchandising" or "cartoons".

I too went to circuses in the late 70's. It was corny and hackneyed then. Having seen one or two cartoons and movies that included a circus scene, you already knew what was going to happen.

In reply to 84FSP:

The last shows are at Nassau Coliseum by my parents. I'm in for $68 a head for nose bleed tickets on the day everyone can go. The closer to the end of the run they're going for over $200 a seat.

It will be a very sad sight indeed to see that little red car pull up to the unemployment line, and watch as 20 clowns get out.

In reply to pinchvalve: I told my wife I'm afraid we'll come out and find a dozen of them in the Fiat.