Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
At the Barclay's Center all weekend through February 25th
Last Night I took my 3-year-old and 6-year-old to the first night of the circus! (Unclear if they still call it the circus, but the full name really doesn’t roll off the tongue to my children.). My older child loved it, and especially all the theatrics. My younger child enjoyed it but was a bit overwhelmed.
Be prepared to spend money on concessions. I’d recommend something unique to do this weekend if you’re looking for something unique to do!
Onto my full review!
The Details
There are seven remaining shows throughout the weekend; buy tickets here. We paid $140 for three tickets for the three of us. (I let my husband relax in my quest for content.)
Only the two lowest sections were open, so every seat had a good angle. When I browsed this morning, the tickets were around $50 for most of the remaining shows. It looks like plenty of tickets are still available. Our show was crowded, but pockets of empty seats were nearby.
For this show, only the front entrance at the corner of Flatbush & Atlantic is open. Security took at least 10 minutes for the bag check. I’d plan at least another 10 minutes to navigate/negotiate concessions and snacks.
The show is about two hours long and includes a 15-minute intermission. It started right on time. Full disclosure- my family left about 30 minutes early as the kids were tired and my daughter had school the next day.
The Experience
My daughter loved the theatrics (sound on the video above to hear her clapping). The show opened with singing and indoor fireworks; it was very high-energy.
Most of the performances are acrobatics. They were stacking on each other, throwing one another in the air, and flipping upside down just by one rope. I was thoroughly impressed with so many of these performance groups. My puny shoulders can barely hang on a bar for ten seconds.
I think my 3-year-old had a harder time understanding some of the performances, so he didn’t get as into it. My 6-year-old understands how hard it is to flip yourself upside down on a ring and her jaw was dropped several times.
They have three different stages set up in the arena. Having different performers in each area keeps the attention of young children and helps with seating arrangements.
I don’t like to be on my phone during a performance, but I did grab one video where the lighting worked well in front of us. See below for a quick taste of what it’s like inside the show.
Recommendations
Choose seats at the end of the aisle. Inevitably you’ll get up and go to the bathroom or buy snacks. This makes that much easier.
Bring your bubble wand. The ones they were selling were $35! I refused to buy for my children. They are also huge so I didn’t want that taking up space in my apartment. The vendor told me they do have a 15-year warranty. My response: “I don’t want that in my apartment for 15 years!” (You can buy ones outside for much cheaper but they are also a much more inferior quality.)
Bring noise-canceling headphones or earplugs for younger children. My 3-year-old put his hat and hood over his ears to try and block some of the noise. It wasn’t bad, but he would have been more comfortable with some sound dampening.
Leave the stroller at home- if possible. There might be a stroller check area, but there is very little space at the seats. We took the B45 bus, which drops right in front of Barclays, and my little one could walk those few blocks.
Prepare for a bit of chaos. Barclay’s can be chaotic. The seating area is small and there are people very close by. Littler kids can get trapped in the folding seat. My personal pet peeve is people who show up late and block your view while they’re getting settled. This is just part of the experience so be prepared!
Video of my son playing with bubbles from someone else’s bubble wand to close us out! Enjoy your weekend!
Katie