Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus gets modern update as ‘Greatest Party on Earth’

One of the longest-running touring shows is getting a modern update, becoming “The Greatest Party on Earth.”

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents The Greatest Show on Earth announced its 2026 tour dates, adding high-energy music, pop culture, and technology to its classic circus acts. The changes, featuring a musical collaboration with teen country singer Maddox Batson, are aimed at “modern families who want to sing, dance, laugh, and create memories together.”

“Reimagined through the lens of pop culture, concerts, and festivals, ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ isn’t just a circus — it’s The Greatest Party On Earth,” a press release said. “This fast-paced, two-hour show moves at the speed of today’s world, powered by a live DJ and a soundtrack spanning more than ten genres. With real-time video and cameras capturing performances from thrilling new angles, every seat feels like the best seat in the house.”

2026 tour dates include New York state shows Feb. 19-22 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, March 6-8 at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, and March 12-15 at the MVP Arena in Albany. Tickets for multiple performances are on sale via Ticketmaster.

“The Greatest Show on Earth” began in 1871 and has operated for the last century under the names of the Ringling brothers, P.T. Barnum, and James Anthony Bailey. Now known as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the traveling company went on hiatus in 2017 but made a comeback in 2023 as a reimagined spectacle without live animals.

Operated by Feld Entertainment, this year’s show features familiar Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus favorites like high-flying aerial acts, daredevil trapeze artists, and teeterboard, a giant seesaw that launches performers high into the air. Other highlights include Cam, a content creator and unicycle rider; a never-before-seen acrobatic bicycle act from China; Salsa Colombia, a Latin dance and acrobatics troupe; Bailey the Robo Pop; Ringling’s hype character PT (Party Time); and a live DJ mixing hip-hop, EDM, techno, Latin, country, pop, and mashups with live singing.

This year will also mark the brand’s first time partnering with a music artist, as Batson’s custom mashup blends modern country with live, choreographed circus entertainment.

“Ringling has always been about fun, celebration, and bringing families together,” said Juliette Feld Grossman, CEO of Feld Entertainment and Producer of “The Greatest Show On Earth.” “This new production takes something as universal as a party — music, color, laughter, and spontaneity — and builds it into the experience from the moment you arrive. We want Ringling to live with families long after they leave the arena — when they’re talking about their favorite moments on the ride home, recreating the circus fun in their living rooms, and feeling inspired to play, move, and imagine together.”