LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 13: General view of elephants and atmosphere at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's 'Circus XTREME' VIP celebrity red carpet premiere at Staples Center on July 13, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David A. Walega/FilmMagic)





TAMARA LUSH, Associated Press

ELLENTON, Fla. (WJZ/AP) — After 146 years, the curtain is coming down on “The Greatest Show on Earth.” The owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus told The Associated Press that the show will close forever in May.

The iconic American spectacle was felled by a variety of factors, company executives say. Declining attendance combined with high operating costs, along with changing public tastes and prolonged battles with animal rights groups all contributed to its demise.

“There isn’t any one thing,” said Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment. “This has been a very difficult decision for me and for the entire family.”

The company broke the news to circus employees Saturday night after shows in Orlando and Miami.

Ringling Bros. has two touring circuses this season and will perform 30 shows between now and May. Major stops include Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and Brooklyn. The final shows will be in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 7 and in Uniondale, New York, at the Nassau County Coliseum on May 21.

The circus, with its exotic animals, flashy costumes and death-defying acrobats, has been a staple of entertainment in the United States since the mid-1800s. Phineas Taylor Barnum made a traveling spectacle of animals and human oddities popular, while the five Ringling brothers performed juggling acts and skits from their home base in Wisconsin. Eventually, they merged and the modern circus was born. The sprawling troupes traveled around America by train, wowing audiences with the sheer scale of entertainment and exotic animals.

By midcentury, the circus was routine, wholesome family entertainment. 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.

“The competitor in many ways is time,” said Feld, adding that transporting the show by rail and other circus quirks — such as providing a traveling school for performers’ children— are throwbacks to another era. “It’s a different model that we can’t see how it works in today’s world to justify and maintain an affordable ticket price. So you’ve got all these things working against it.”

The Feld family bought the Ringling circus in 1967. The show was just under 3 hours then. Today, the show is 2 hours and 7 minutes, with the longest segment — a tiger act — clocking in at 12 minutes.

“Try getting a 3- or 4-year-old today to sit for 12 minutes,” he said.

Feld and his daughter Juliette Feld, who is the company’s chief operating officer, acknowledged another reality that led to the closing, and it was the one thing that initially drew millions to the show: the animals. Ringling has been targeted by activists who say forcing animals to perform is cruel and unnecessary.

In May of 2016, after a long and costly legal battle, the company removed the elephants from the shows and sent the animals to live on a conservation farm in Central Florida. The animals had been the symbol of the circus since Barnum brought an Asian elephant named Jumbo to America in 1882. In 2014, Feld Entertainment won $25.2 million in settlements from groups including the Humane Society of the United States, ending a 14-year fight over allegations that circus employees mistreated elephants.

By the time the elephants were removed, public opinion had shifted somewhat. Los Angeles prohibited the use of bull-hooks by elephant trainers and handlers, as did Oakland, California. The city of Asheville, North Carolina nixed wild or exotic animals from performing in the municipally owned, 7,600-seat U.S. Cellular Center.

Attendance has been dropping for 10 years, said Juliette Feld, but when the elephants left, there was a “dramatic drop” in ticket sales. Paradoxically, while many said they didn’t want big animals to perform in circuses, many others refused to attend a circus without them.

“We know now that one of the major reasons people came to Ringling Bros. was getting to see elephants,” she said. “We stand by that decision. We know it was the right decision. This was what audiences wanted to see and it definitely played a major role.”

The Felds say their existing animals — lions, tigers, camels, donkeys, alpacas, kangaroos and llamas — will go to suitable homes. Juliette Feld says the company will continue operating the Center for Elephant Conservation.

Some 500 people perform and work on both touring shows. A handful will be placed in positions with the company’s other, profitable shows — it owns Monster Jam, Disney on Ice and Marvel Live, among other things — but most will be out of a job. Juliette Feld said the company will help employees with job placement and resumes. In some cases where a circus employee lives on the tour rail car (the circus travels by train), the company will also help with housing relocation.

Kenneth Feld became visibly emotional while discussing the decision with a reporter. He said over the next four months, fans will be able to say goodbye at the remaining shows.

In recent years, Ringling Bros. tried to remain relevant, hiring its first African American ringmaster, then its first female ringmaster, and also launching an interactive app. It added elements from its other, popular shows, such as motorbike daredevils and ice skaters. But it seemingly was no match for Pokemon Go and a generation of kids who desire familiar brands and YouTube celebrities.

“We tried all these different things to see what would work, and supported it with a lot of funding as well, and we weren’t successful in finding the solution,” said Kenneth Feld.

The full letter from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey producer Kenneth Feld:



After much evaluation and deliberation, my family and I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® will hold its final performances in May of this year. Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop. This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company.

Nearly 50 years ago, my father founded our company with the acquisition of Ringling Bros. The circus and its people have continually been a source of inspiration and joy to my family and me, which is why this was such a tough business decision to make. The decision was even more difficult because of the amazing fans that have become part of our extended circus family over the years, and we are extremely grateful to the millions of families who have made Ringling Bros. part of their lives for generations. We know Ringling Bros. isn’t only our family business, but also your family tradition.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Circus XTREME will conclude its tour at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., on May 7, 2017, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Out Of This World will conclude its tour at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., on May 21, 2017. We hope you will come to celebrate this American icon for one last time before our tours conclude.

Our company provides quality, live family entertainment, and we invite you to bring your family to one of our other events, including Marvel Universe LIVE!, Monster Jam, Monster Energy Supercross, AMSOIL Arenacross, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!, as well as future productions.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has served as inspiration for all of the live entertainment produced at Feld Entertainment. We learned from the circus, and applied those learnings to our other productions. Without Ringling Bros., we wouldn’t have the vibrant live entertainment company that we have today. Ringling Bros. will always be part of Feld Entertainment, and its spirit will live on in every production and project we do.

The circus will be visiting Baltimore for the last time at Royal Farms Arena April 20, 2017 – April 30, 2017. Tickets go on sale for the performance January 24.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus said late Saturday it would deliver its final performance in May, shutting down after a nearly century-and-a-half run as “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

The iconic American show will end after 146 years, succumbing to numerous obstacles in recent years such as rising operating costs, falling attendance and mounting criticism from animal rights groups.

“Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop,” said Kenneth Feld, the CEO of Feld Entertainment, which produces the circus, in a statement. “This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company.”

In 2015, the circus said it would begin phasing out the use of elephants in its shows over three years in response to animals rights advocates and public backlash.

See also: Ringling Bros. joins 5 other companies bending to consumer pressure

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a major critic of the circus’s treatment of animals, championed the move on Saturday as a “victory” while Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, commended the decision in a tweet.

Ringling Bros. has two separate shows on tour and is set to perform a total of 30 more shows before the curtain falls in May. The final two shows will be held in Providence, R.I., on May 7 and in Uniondale, N.Y., on May 21.

Feld Entertainment’s other productions include Marvel Universe Live, Monster Jam, Disney On Ice and Disney Live.</s>The famed Ringling Bros. circus announces plans to shut down operations after 146 years in operation. The news comes from Feld Entertainment, the company that has owned the circus for the last 50 years.

“I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey will hold its final performances in May of this year,” CEO Kenneth Feld said.

There are several reason why the company is stopping performances. A rise in operating costs, changing public tastes along with extensive battles with animal rights groups, and a major decline in attendance over the last decade are all to blame.

The circus is currently on a North American tour. The final shows will be in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 7th and in Uniondale, New York, at the Nassau County Coliseum on May 21st.</s>A year after Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey Circus retired their elephant show, the legendary circus will now close their entire operation citing declining ticket sales and high operating costs. The long-running circus will host their final performance in May according to an official statement on the circus’ website:

After much evaluation and deliberation, my family and I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® will hold its final performances in May of this year. Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop. This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company.

Nearly 50 years ago, my father founded our company with the acquisition of Ringling Bros. The circus and its people have continually been a source of inspiration and joy to my family and me, which is why this was such a tough business decision to make. The decision was even more difficult because of the amazing fans that have become part of our extended circus family over the years, and we are extremely grateful to the millions of families who have made Ringling Bros. part of their lives for generations. We know Ringling Bros. isn’t only our family business, but also your family tradition.</s>After more than 100 years of operation, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus will hold its final performances in May of this year. Kenneth Feld, CEO of Feld Entertainment, which has owned the circus for the past 50 years said the decline of ticket sales, compounded by the high operating costs “made the circus an unsustainable business for the company.”

The phasing out of elephants contributed to the massive decline of sales. Their choreographed dance routines were once a staple and spotlight of the circus, although criticism from animal rights activists forced the circus to phase out elephant acts altogether. Although Ringling Bros. runs a 200 acre elephant conversation center, and have made efforts to take better care of their animals, the Humane Society of the United States acknowledge the effort, but feels the circus did not take action soon enough. The Human Society’s President and CEO Wayne Pacelle said in a statement, “It’s just not acceptable any longer to cart wild animals from city to city and have them perform silly yet coercive stunts. I know this is bittersweet for the Feld family, but I applaud their decision to move away from an institution grounded on inherently inhumane wild animal acts.”

The circus currently has two tours on the road right now. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Circus XTREME will finish in Providence, R.I., on May 7, 2017, and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Out Of This World will conclude in Uniondale, N.Y., on May 21, 2017.

The full statement from Feld Entertainment CEO, Kenneth Feld, can be read HERE.</s>ELLENTON, Fla. (AP) — The owners of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced Saturday that they will close the 146-year-old show in May.

Kenneth Feld, the chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus, said declining attendance combined with high operating costs are the reasons for closing.

Here’s where things stand with the iconic show:

WHEN IS THE CIRCUS’ FINAL SHOW?

Ringling Bros. has two touring circuses this season: “Circus Extreme” and “Out of This World.” The final show for “Circus Extreme” will be in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 7, and the other will close after a performance in Uniondale, New York, at the Nassau County Coliseum on May 21.

WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN NOW AND MAY?

The two touring circuses will perform a total of 30 shows over the next four months. Most of the shows will be held in the South or the East Coast. Major stops include Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and Brooklyn. Tickets can still be purchased online and at venues.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE EMPLOYEES?

The Feld family has owned the circus for 49 years, and employs some 500 people for the show. Those employees were told about the closure on Saturday night, after shows in Orlando and Miami. A handful will be placed in positions with the company’s other shows — it owns Monster Jam, Disney on Ice and Marvel Live, among other things — but most will be out of a job. Chief Operating Officer Juliette Feld said the company will help employees with job placement and resumes. In some cases where a circus employee lives on the tour rail car (the circus travels by train), the company will also help with housing relocation.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE ANIMALS?

In May of 2016, Ringling retired all of its elephants to a property in central Florida. Forty elephants live at the Center for Elephant Conservation in Polk County. But the circus still has other animals, such as lions, tigers, camels, donkeys, alpacas, kangaroos and llamas.

Juliette Feld says homes will be found for the animals, but the company will continue operating the Center for Elephant Conservation.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE COSTUMES AND PROPS?

The Feld family hasn’t decided what it will do with the enormous warehouse filled with circus costumes and props. Kenneth Feld says the company will continue to work with the Circus Museum at The Ringling in Sarasota. That museum holds memorabilia dating to the 1800s, when John Ringling and his family founded Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus.</s>After its nearly century and a half run, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced Saturday night that it will shut down "The Greatest Show On Earth" forever.

The American spectacle will conclude with its final show in May, says Kenneth Feld, the chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, the producer of Ringling.

On the company website, Feld cites declining ticket sales — which dipped even lower as the company retired elephants — combined with high operation costs.

"Following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop," Feld says. "This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company."

The company has been phasing out elephants after shifting public tastes and criticism drawn from animal rights groups over the well-being of the animals.

The company circus held its last show featuring elephants last May, before completely retiring the animals to the a 200-acre conservation center in Polk City, Fla., established by Feld Entertainment in 1995.

Elephants had been a circus mainstay since Barnum introduced Jumbo, an Asian elephant in 1882, the AP reports.

"The Felds say their existing animals — lions, tigers, camels, donkeys, alpacas, kangaroos and llamas — will go to suitable homes," adds the AP. "Juliette Feld says the company will continue operating the Center for Elephant Conservation."

The Feld family bought Ringling in 1967 and employs about 500 people for both touring shows "Circus Extreme" and "Out of This World." Those employees were told about the closure after shows in Orlando and Miami, on Saturday night.

In addition to the circus, Feld Entertainment also runs a number of high-profile traveling shows, from Monster Jam and Supercross to Marvel Universe Live and Disney on Ice.

Before it draws the curtain, the two touring circuses will perform a total of 30 shows over the next four months, in major cities including Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and Brooklyn.</s>Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced Saturday it will host its final show in May, ending "The Greatest Show on Earth" after 146 years.

Company executives cited high operating costs and declining ticket sales after the traveling American circus retired its popular elephants as reasons for drawing the curtain on a celebrated spectacle that traces its origins to politician and showman P.T. Barnum's first show in 1871.

Animal rights groups cheered the move as a success story following decades of activism against the use of animals in the circus.

Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of show producer Feld Entertainment, said he and his family came to the "difficult" decision to end the circus "after much evaluation and deliberation."

"Nearly 50 years ago, my father founded our company with the acquisition of Ringling Bros.," he said in a statement on the group's website."

"The circus and its people have continually been a source of inspiration and joy to my family and me, which is why this was such a tough business decision to make."

The group has a total of 30 stops scheduled on its 2017 tour.

The final "Circus XTREME" show will take place at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island on May 7, while the group's "Out Of This World" tour will take place May 21 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

Although Barnum's first show took place decades before, it was not until 1919 that a group started by five Wisconsin brothers, Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows, merged with Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth.

While the Ringling brothers had been better known for traditional circus fare, Barnum was dubbed the "Prince of Humbugs," known as a shameless promoter of incredible hoaxes, freak shows and zoological curiosities.

One such object was the Fiji mermaid, or Feejee mermaid, which was in fact no less than the head and torso of a monkey sewn to the body and tail of a fish.

Barnum launched his traveling circus after fires destroyed his Barnum's American Museum. Two whales were boiled alive in their tanks during one of the fires.

In 1881, Barnum teamed up with James Bailey to run their "Greatest Show on Earth," making a fortune along the way.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals cheered Ringling's latest decision as the end of an era, and called for other circuses to follow their lead.

"After 36 years of PETA protests, which have awoken the world to the plight of animals in captivity, PETA heralds the end of what has been the saddest show on Earth for wild animals, and asks all other animal circuses to follow suit, as this is a sign of changing times," the group's president Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, joined in.

"A major moment as big brands that harm animals fade away and more humane businesses emerge I applaud @RinglingBros announcement," he tweeted.

In May 2015, the circus retired its performing elephants after major criticism from animal rights groups, including widely circulated videos from PETA that showed a male handler hitting elephants with an ankus, or pointed stick.

The Ringling Brothers herd was the largest in the Western hemisphere for Asian elephants, listed as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which says 40,000-50,000 exist in the world in highly fragmented populations.

"It is sad. You feel it is the end of an era," long-time trainer Trudy Williams told AFP at the time.

Ringling Brothers was also embroiled in a 14-year lawsuit in which animal rights groups alleged the circus was mistreating its herd.

The case was eventually thrown out after a lead witness was found to have been paid for his testimony by animal rights groups.

By 2014, the plaintiffs, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society, had been ordered to pay the circus $25 million to reimburse its legal fees.

Photo: Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Over the Top Tigers. Credit: Chensiyuan, via Wikimedia Commons</s>The Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus will end “The Greatest Show on Earth” in May, following a 146-year run. Kenneth Feld, the chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus, told media declining attendance combined with high operating costs are among the reasons for closing.

Watch What Else Is Making News:

Feld said when the company removed the elephants from the shows in May of 2016, ticket sales declined more dramatically than expected. The company broke the news to circus employees Saturday night after shows in Orlando and Miami.

Ringling Bros has two touring circuses this season and will perform 30 shows between now and May. The final shows will be in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 7 and in Uniondale, New York, at the Nassau County Coliseum on May 21.</s>ELLENTON, Fla.—After 146 years, the curtain is coming down on “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

The show will close forever in May, the owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus said.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announces it will cease operation in May after 146 years, due to lower attendance, higher operating costs and protests from animal rights activists.