Hartford, CT — (CNN) The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus is in Connecticut one last time.
After 146 years, the so-called Greatest Show On Earth is closing the curtain next month after years of change and decline.
The show kicks off Thursday night at the XL Center in Hartford and runs through the weekend.
For performers, this final leg of their tour is bittersweet. They told Eyewitness News that they are pulling out all of the stops to make sure they impress the crowd.
“We are putting 110 percent into every single performance because we know every performance of the Greatest Show on Earth is going to be someone’s last time seeing us,” said Matthew Lish, a clown with Ringling Brothers.
The last few years have brought changes to the circus.
It retired all the elephants, which were a big part of the performances, after several animal rights groups criticized and even sued the Ringling Brothers for how they treated the animals.
The company CEO said sales slowed following that.
The CEO called it a “difficult decision” to end the show, but said ticket sales just were not enough to match the high cost of running it.
This weekend though, clowns, acrobats and other exotic animals will all be there.
The circus visits more than 100 cities each year. P.T. Barnum called Connecticut home, so there is history for the circus here.
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