img_6045I took my girls, my niece and my husband to Ringling Bros and Barnum Bailey Circus last week. It was opening night for the latest touring show, Zing Zang Zoom!

It’s been a few years since I’ve taken my family to the circus. The girls were too young and it was hard to justify ticket prices to spend an evening trying to keep them in their seats.

This year, my girls were both old enough to go and enjoy the circus. Their cousin EV, who is 7, also tagged along. The girls were beyond excited to go and were jumping up and down while we were in line waiting to go in. When we walked past the ticket takers and into the main coliseum hallway, they looked at each other and said, “We are finally inside!!”

The circus offered a pre-show where you could meet and greet the animals and clowns as well as try on circus apparel. We were really excited to get a sneak peek at the circus early. This seemed to be a good idea, but the event is open to any ticket holder. We arrived at 6:30 to huge lines.

As we walked across the parking lot, we could see the animals and their cages on the other side. My girls really wanted to meet the animals more than anything else. I had been pumping this for weeks and now they were going to get up and close with the elephants, horses, etc. It looked like there were fences all around the animals and we guessed that you had to go inside the coliseum to get to the animals.

img_6068A lot of people came early for the pre-show. We waited in line for about 30 minutes before even getting inside. As soon as we got inside, we began looking for ways to get out to the animals. The girls gave up and began walking the circus floor. They didn’t want to get too close to clowns and the lines for the circus apparel were long. It was hot and crowded and outside of getting autographs and crowding to try and see elephants paint, there wasn’t much there. I wasn’t impressed with the pre-show and not sure I would come early to do it again.

I discovered through asking others that you had to show tickets outside in the parking lot to see the animals. We completely missed it. The girls were bummed. It would have been nice to know the procedure ahead of time or at least have seen signs that gave us direction.

All three girls sat on the edge of their seats the entire first act. I’m not sure they blinked the entire time. They laughed and clapped with genuine exuberance. There was singing, dancing, animals and circus acts. This wasn’t exactly the circus I remembered from my youth, but it was better.

The acts moved fast, the music was fun and things kept moving. I was bummed to see so few animals, yet happy to see so few animals. The animals are a huge draw to the circus, but it’s hard to see and think of them as in captivity and being forced to perform tricks for entertainment.

The second act was just as fun and fast-paced. We all loved the magic tricks … they made an elephant disappear, sent the ringmaster through sharp fan blades and my favorite, turned a man into a white tiger.

The circus was set to go late, and we had had a few late nights previous, so I was prepared to leave when the girls started to drag. They didn’t drag until after we left and were halfway home.

The girls’ favorites were the tigers, the elephants, the horses and the guys who run on the spheres of death.

On the way out the door, the girls were pumped up and talking about coming back next year. The circus may just become an annual family outing for us.

If you are interested in going to the circus, it is in Denver through October 11th. Mom Central is extending the following family offers, just enter the coupon code “MOM” in the “MC promotion” box at checkout. Tickets can be purchased from http://www.ticketmaster.com. For more information on ticket discounts, showtimes and cities where the circus will visit, click here.

· Four tickets for $44 Monday-Friday (additional tickets can be purchased for $11 each)

· $4 off tickets for weekend performances

Offer not valid on Circus Celebrity, Front Row, or VIP seating.

Cannot be combined with other offers. Service Charges, facility & handling fees will apply.


I am participating in a campaign for Mom Central and Feld Entertainment. I am a Feld Family Activator and receive free tickets for my family to attend the Ringling Bros show.