Shriner Circus Returning For 1st Time Since Animal Ban

WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington's Aleppo Shriners Circus is returning to town in April for the first time since before the pandemic, the Shriners said Wednesday.

It will also be the circus's first performance since the town banned circus animals at the annual town meeting in 2020.

"The greatest show to hit the Shriners Auditorium in 2022 will be a fun-filled extravaganza for young and old," said Shriners Circus Chairman Roger Metcalfe in a statement. "This is an all-new circus featuring some of the best performers and entertainers in the country."

The circus will have 12 performances the week of school vacation, from April 20 to 24.

"Highlights of the 2022 Shriners Circus include aerialists, dancers, acrobats, performers flying through the air, death-defying stuntmen riding four motorcycles at the same time in the Globe of Death, and a man being shot out of a cannon," according to the news release. "Of course, the famous Aleppo Clowns will spread laughter and silliness throughout the arena."

There will be no exotic animals performing, in accordance with the ban. When the town enacted the ban, Metcalfe told Patch that the Shriners were "keeping all options on the table" as they figured out their next move.

"Services never stop for the children" that the Shriners serve, he said.

The Shriners run specialty children's hospitals and free transportation to them.

Tickets to the 2022 circus can be purchased at www.AleppoCircus2022.Eventbrite.com. Parking at the Shriners Auditorium is free. Learn more here.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or [email protected].