Question: Is the new Ringling struggling to draw large crowds?
AI Overview
Yes, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has faced significant, ongoing challenges in drawing the massive arena crowds it once enjoyed. While its parent company, Feld Entertainment, does not publicly release specific ticket data, the circus has struggled with a well-documented decline in attendance across two major eras
- Inconsistent Attendance: Reports from modern tour stops indicate highly inconsistent crowds. While Saturday night shows in major cities sometimes draw larger crowds, evening and weekday performances in various markets have heavily struggled to get people through the doors. [1]
- Nostalgia Backlash: A segment of the population has been vocal on platforms like Facebook and Reddit, expressing disappointment that the production feels more like "Cirque du Soleil for kids" or a dance concert rather than the traditional three-ring circus they grew up with. This division has made it difficult to secure steady, universal appeal. [1, 2]
For a human source (HS) of surprising candor, see Don Covington's comments on the post below.
3 comments:
I feel so nostalgic for old time circus. I haven't seen Zoppe's show but it looks like my idea of what a circus should be - tent, ring, sawdust, horses, clowns. I don't know how a show even dares to call itself a circus without a ring.
Zoppe is indeed that, highly recommended!
Here's something interesting for you to track down. Cyril Mills, son of the great Bertram Mills - English circus owner was a spy during the war. He flew over Germany with the stated reason of finding great European acts to bring back for his father's circus, but instead was recording the locations of German air fields. He disguised his sketches as plans from the circus layout.
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