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> 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> 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.

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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> 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> The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus that has wowed crowds for nearly 150 years with its “Greatest Show on Earth,” before facing increasingly intense controversy over its use of live large animals, is taking its final bow Sunday night.

The last of three scheduled shows Sunday at the Nassau County Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, is sold out. The circus’s final show will be broadcast live on Facebook and streamed on YouTube.

Ringling’s parent company, Feld Entertainment, announced in January it would close the production, citing declining attendance and high operating costs.

Although it retired its elephants in May 2016, Ringling Bros continued to include tigers, lions, horses, dogs and camels in its shows until the end, despite criticism from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and others.

Fewer than 40,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild. About 250 are in captivity in the United States, 26 of which were born in the past 20 years at Ringling facilities, Reuters reported.

Feld Entertainment’s Kenneth Feld said Sunday that while he is sad about closing the production, he feels the performers are energized to “go out on top,” the Associated Press said.

This circus had a legacy that stretched back to the legendary 19th century showman P.T. Barnum. Feld’s father and uncle bought the circus in 1967. It was sold to Mattel MAT, +0.32% in 1971, but the Feld family continued to manage the shows. The Felds bought the circus back in 1982. </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> NEW YORK — The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus took entertained audience Sunday night for its final show ever.

The show — performed in Uniondale, New York — comes after months after the circus owners announced it would be bring the curtain down on its performers. According to CNN, high costs and declining ticket sales led to shut down.

The show had a tough time bouncing back after the show was forced to phase out its famous elephant performance due to harsh criticism from animal rights group.

More than 146 years of dazzling audiences, the Ringling Brothers circus will still go down as "The Greatest Show on Earth." </s> After 146 years and having entertained generations of Americans, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus gave its final performance Sunday night. </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.
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.