Circus Celebration

WHAT TO DO: Road trip: Circus homecoming

The annual Big Top Parade, kicking off at 11 am on Broadway Street (at Seventh Avenue) and traveling to the Square, is sure to be bigger than ever. This year, Baraboo is also hosting a weekend-long Circus Celebration, reuniting past and present performers. A benefit show for retired circus artists starts at 7:30 pm at the Al. Ringling Theatre. For information on events throughout the weekend, visit circusworldbaraboo.org.

press release:  Baraboo, Wisconsin, the hometown of the Ringling brothers and their circus empire, will roll out the red carpet to the performers and employees of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey with a special Circus Homecoming, July 20-23, 2017. The four-day event will celebrate the people who have made The Greatest Show On Earth® an iconic brand and the world’s preeminent circus. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey cast and crew will also serve as the grand marshals of Baraboo’s Big Top Parade*.

On parade day, Saturday July 22, at 7:30 p.m., former performers from The Greatest Show On Earth® will showcase their talents on the stage of the beautifully restored Al. Ringling Theatre for a one-time-only presentation of “Sawdust, Spangles and Dreams.” Proceeds from this event will benefit the Circus Traveling Show Retirement Project & Showpeople’s Winter Quarters, as well as International Clown Hall of Fame, the Al. Ringling Theatre and Circus World. Tickets for this performance can be purchased online at http://alringling.org/ .

“With the news that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey closed in May after 146 years of continuous operation, Circus World and the entire Baraboo community immediately thought about the people who have dedicated their lives to The Greatest Show On Earth®. The Circus Homecoming is our way to honor all of them and their legacy,” said Scott O’Donnell, executive director of Circus World, a state-owned historic site located at the Ringling Bros. Circus’ winter quarters (1884-1918) in Baraboo and the primary organization behind the Circus Homecoming.

Other Circus Homecoming events, including performances, concerts, tours, films and social gatherings offered each day and evening at the city’s premier circus attractions: Circus World, the International Clown Hall of Fame, Al. Ringling Theatre, Al. Ringling Mansion and Ringling House Bed & Breakfast. You can explore the full schedule of Circus Homecoming events by visiting www.circusworldbaraboo.org.

Activities on Friday, July 21 will include an 11:00 a.m. guided tour of Baraboo’s Walnut Hill Cemetery where four of the Ringling brothers and other circus luminaries are interred. The 1952 Oscar-winning best picture, “The Greatest Show On Earth,” will be shown on the big screen at 7:00 p.m. at the majestic Al. Ringling Theatre. Buy early to get the best seats! Al Ringling Theatre tickets for both the movie and “Sawdust, Spangles and Dreams” are on sale and can be purchased at http://alringling.org/ or by contacting the Ticket Office at 608-356-8864. 

On Saturday, July 22 at 11:00 a.m., the 5th Annual Big Top Parade will take to the streets of downtown Baraboo, with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey employees serving as Grand Marshals. The parade will feature priceless, horse-drawn circus wagons from Circus World’s unequaled collection, animals, bands, specialty units, and community floats. *This year, because Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is ceasing operations, the parade will also feature the grandest assemblage of clowns on the planet.