Ringling Bros. Circus to Close After 146 Years

The famed Ringling Bros. circus is closing down for good after a 146-year run, Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, said in a statement posted to the circus website.

The circus will hold its last shows in May with the Circus XTREME concluding its tour at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., on May 7 and the Out Of This World production concluding with a final show at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. In the statement, Feld cited high operating costs and declining ticket sales, which apparently saw a further drop after the circus stopped using elephants responding to growing pressure from animal rights activists.

"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," Feld said in the statement. "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."

The 500 employees or so that work for the circus were told of the decision to close the show Saturday night, The Associated Press reported. Some of those employees will be given jobs at the company's other shows but most will be out of a job, according to the AP report. And as for the animals, the circus said they will find homes for them.

Along with the final shows, both circuses will perform a total of 30 shows with major stops including Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and Brooklyn.

Animal rights group PETA hailed the closing of what they dubbed, "the saddest show on earth."

Photo: Flickr/CreativeCommons/Steven Depolo