Circus Returns To LA For First Time Since 2016

LOS ANGELES — The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus will perform at Crypto.com Arena Friday evening for the first time since 2016 and without animals.

The circus had ended its 147-year run in 2017 due to declining ticket sales which followed the end of the use of elephants in its shows a year earlier, a decision made following years of protests by animal rights organizations -- and cities including Los Angeles passing laws banning the use of "bullhooks" and other types of goads and prods employed in wrangling elephants
Feld Entertainment, the circus' parent company, announced in May 2022 the circus would return -- without animals -- promising "a dynamic, multi- platform entertainment franchise, providing families the opportunity to connect in fun, engaging ways."

The circus began its tour Sept, 29, 2023, in Bossier City, Louisiana and had runs at Toyota Arena in Ontario Aug. 9-11 and Honda Center in Anaheim Aug. 16 through Thursday.

In addition to the absence of animals, the circus also won't have a ringmaster. Instead there are three "show guides," Aria (Lauren Irving), Stix (Alex Stickels) and Nick Nack (Alejandro Licea Pello) who guide audiences through what Ringling Bros. calls "an interactive and music-filled journey filled with new, modern twists to classic circus acts."

The acts include what Ringling Bros. bills as "never before seen stunts."

One is "The Triangular Highwire," where three very thin wires are connected in a triangular formation, 25 feet above the ground, and four performers jump over their partner's shoulders and ride a bicycle on the thin wire while another performer does a handstand on top of the moving bicycle.

Another is "The Double Wheel of Destiny," where four performers leap and somersault on top and across two spinning wheels that hang 30 feet in the air and move at high speeds.

The Flying Caceres, a family troupe of trapeze artists that first performed at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus in 1982, will soar on the "Criss-Cross Trapeze," including performing a previously unseen trick, completing two complete flips while flying from one bar to the next.

The Guinness world record-setting unicyclist Wesley Williams, known as the "One Wheel Wonder," will ride 10 unicycles on the show floor, including one over 34 feet high.

Nick Nack and the Equivokee Trio will introduce what Ringling Bros. calls "a modern take on clowning that leaves the makeup behind and focuses on delivering moments of laughter for children of all ages through a comedic blend of juggling, acrobatics, dancing and balancing skills."

The show's 360-degree stage will transform into a skate park during the show, as a combination of BMX bikes, a trail bike and extreme unicycle soar through the air during an act with double-sided ramps and a trampoline.

There will also be musical numbers incorporating original music, pop cover tunes and live rock-inspired drumming. Argendance, an energetic dance troupe from Argentina, will present a fiery fusion of Argentinian-style dance alongside Stix.

The circus will also include solo and group aerialists and tumblers among its cast of more than 75 performers from 18 nations.

The show will conclude with Skyler Miser, billed by Ringling Bros. as "human cannonball royalty," being shot across the arena at 65 miles per hour.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are available at AXS.com.

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