One of the longest running concert shows is getting a modern update to become ‘The Greatest Party on Earth’.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey present The Greatest Show on Earth have announced their 2026 tour dates, adding high-energy music, pop culture and technology to their classic circus acts. The changes, which include a musical collaboration with teenage country singer Maddox Batson, are aimed at “modern families who want to sing, dance, laugh and make memories together.”
“The Greatest Show on Earth, reimagined through the lenses of pop culture, concerts and festivals, isn’t just a circus — it’s the Greatest Party on Earth,” said a press release. “This fast-paced two-hour show moves at the speed of today’s world, fueled by a live DJ and a soundtrack spanning more than ten genres. With real-time video and cameras capturing the performance from exciting new angles, every seat feels like the best seat in the house.”
The 2026 tour dates include a stateside show in New York on the 19th-22nd. February at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, 6-8 March at UBS Arena in Belmont Park and 12-15 March at the MVP Arena in Albany. Tickets for multiple shows are on sale via Ticketmaster.
The “Greatest Show on Earth” began in 1871 and operated for the past century under the names of the Ringling brothers, PT Barnum and James Anthony Bailey. Now known as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the traveling company went on hiatus in 2017, but returned in 2023 as a revamped spectacle without live animals.
This year’s show, operated by Feld Entertainment, features the famous Ringling Bros. circuses. and Barnum & Baily Circus, such as high-capacity aerial acts, daredevils on the trapeze and the teeterboard, a giant swing that launches performers high into the air. Other highlights include Cam, a content creator and unicycle rider; a never-before-seen acrobatic cycling act from China; Salsa Colombia, an ensemble of Latin American dances and acrobatics; Bailey the Robo Pop; Ringling’s hype figure PT (Party Time); and a live DJ mixing hip-hop, EDM, techno, Latin, country, pop and mashups with live vocals.
This year will also mark the brand’s first partnership with a musical artist, as Batson’s own mashup fuses modern country with live, choreographed circus entertainment.
“Ringling has always been about fun, celebration and bringing families together,” said Juliette Feld Grossman, CEO of Feld Entertainment and producer of “The Greatest Show On Earth.” “This new production takes something as universal as a party — music, color, laughter and spontaneity — and builds it into an experience from the moment you arrive. We want Ringling to live with families long after they leave the arena — as they talk about their favorite moments on the way home, recreate circus fun in their living rooms, and feel inspired to play, move and imagine together.”
Leave a Reply