Let's Celebrate World Circus Day!

What are your memories from going to the circus as a child? Were you entertained by clowns, acrobats, or wild animals? Or, were you introduced to the modern-day version of the circus due to performances by Cirque du Soleil? Whatever the case may be, today's a special day for circus fans because it's World Circus Day!

According to NationalToday.com, "World Circus Day is celebrated on April 17 every year. This holiday was created to shine a spotlight on circus creators, performers, and artists. As one of the most popular and universal forms of entertainment, circus art is brought to the forefront to create awareness for everyone involved in the industry. This day is dedicated to emphasizing their craft, talents, and skills. It also helps them raise funds, attract audiences, and enter the zeitgeist of the entertainment scene. From veteran performers to up-and-coming artists, this day is dedicated to their hard work and dedication. Circus art is not as easy as it looks — it takes years of training and perseverance to achieve mastery. Today, we celebrate them and their contributions to the arts." 

Here's a circus timeline:

1768: First Modern Circus Introduced

In London, England, Philip Astley created the first modern circus, providing a model for future circus shows. He pioneered horse riding tricks as a form of entertainment in front of a public audience and initially called this performance arena "Circle," but the term evolved and later became known as "Circus." Astley exported his circus to France and was able to build 18 more across Europe.

1825: Invention of the Circus Tent

The circus tent, or "big top," was first used by Joshua Purdy Brown, allowing circuses to travel and perform anywhere.

1884: Birth of "The Greatest Show on Earth"

P.T. Barnum and J.A. Bailey founded the Barnum & Bailey Circus, which later merged with Ringling Bros. to become "The Greatest Show on Earth."

1956: End of Big-Top Era and Start of Arena Shows

For financial reasons, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey moved their shows from tents to permanent venues, essentially ending the traditional big-top circus era.

1984: Cirque du Soleil Founded

The start of the contemporary circus era with the founding of Cirque du Soleil, introducing a new artistic and story-driven approach to circus performance.

2010: First World Circus Day Celebrated

Lead by the Federation Mondiale du Cirque, the first World Circus Day was celebrated on April 17th, to honor and promote the art of circus globally.

Here are some circus superstitions:

The color green: Circus performers don't wear green costumes because it's considered unlucky to wear green in the ring.

Never whistle or eat peanuts: Circus performers never whistle or eat peanuts backstage as these are considered to be bad luck.

Never say "Break a Leg" before a show - it's bad luck.

Elephants' tail hair: All circus performers who carry hair from an elephant's tail in their pockets during performances will have good luck.

Never say goodbye, it's always "See you down the road." 

And last but not least, from a marketing perspective, how have circuses evolved? First, as a result of the public controversy surrounding wild animals as part of circus performances, live animals are no longer part of circus performances. Second, industry brand leader Ringling Bros. returned in 2023 after a five-year absence with a totally-revamped production that replaced its menagerie of performing animals with 75 wildly-talented humans from 18 countries. And lastly, the Cirque du Soleil umbrella of artistic circus shows scratches the surface of the circus concept but actually combines music, artistry, and acrobatics with storytelling.

While "Ringling Bros. producer Feld Grossman has been described as a kind of Ted Lasso of in-person entertainment: he makes people feel pretty good about themselves, at least for a few hours," can the circus form of entertainment survive in the era of online distractions? Time will tell.

Image Credit: Vectorstock.com.

Did you know that there are schools to learn how to be a circus performer? Take a look!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_school

And, on a related note, according to the European Circus Association (ECA), this year's World Circus Day will be celebrated on Saturday, April 19th IN EUROPE. According to the ECA's website, "The European Circus Association was established to unite Europe's circuses in order to promote and preserve circus arts and culture as part of Europe's cultural heritage. ECA is a non-profit organization. Its members include circus owners and directors, festivals, animal trainers and artists as well as other organizations representing the same interests. Together the ECA believes we can ensure that the circus continues to enchant, educate, and entertain children of all ages. This includes all kinds of circus, travelling or permanent, big or small, involving varying mixes of artistic displays, acrobatics, comedy, and trained animals."