GREENSBORO – The 36th Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour opens on Saturday, July 1, in Greensboro. The opening weekend performances will be at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. These are the first two performances of the 63-show tour that will visit five states and 14 towns over 50 days this summer.
Upcoming area shows include five shows at Farr’s Field in Waterbury July 4, 5 and 6, and five shows at Bombardier Park West in Milton July 11, 12 and 13, then back in Greensboro August 18 and 19.
The 30 budding circus stars in the 2023 troupe are ages 11 to 18, and bring youthful exuberance and polished circus skills to grace the Big Top from regions across the United States. They hail from 12 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin.
Celebrating its 36th year, Circus Smirkus is the only traveling tented youth circus in the United States. Performing under a traditional European-style circus tent, Circus Smirkus troupers delight and inspire audiences of all ages. There are no animal acts in these performances.
This year’s tour continues the tradition of Smirkus’ annual theme-based shows with “The 2023 Big Top Tour: A Midsummer Night’s Circus.” The show will feature an array of circus arts including aerials, acrobatics, juggling, and clowning and a display of costumes, and many other surprises.
The tour travels through mid-August with a tour caravan that requires some 23-support vehicles and 80 people including performers, coaches, cooks, tech and tent crew and a live circus band playing an original score written specifically for this show. The circus company performs across New England to approximately 40,000 patrons each summer.
The complete New England Tour Schedule is: July 1 Opening, Greensboro; July 4, 5 and 6, Waterbury; July 8 and 9, Northampton, Mass.; July 11, 12 and 13, Milton; July 15 and 16, Rutland; July 18 and 19, Hanover, N.H.; July 21 and 22, Marshfield, Mass.; July 24 and 25, Wilton, N.H.; July 27, 28, 29 and 30, Waltham, Mass.; August 1 and 2, Simsbury, Conn., August 4 and 5, Newbury, Mass.; August 7 and 8, Portland, Me.; August 10 and 11, Kennebunkport, Me.; August 13, 14, 15, and 16, Fryeberg, Me; and Aug 18 and 19 Finale, Greensboro.
Visit smirkus.org for a complete tour schedule. Tickets for each performance on the tour are available by calling 1-877-SMIRKUS toll-free.
