Clowning around at the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus

One of the perks of having kids is that you get a chance to relive some of your favorite childhood experiences.

I’ve always enjoyed the circus and once again Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus did not disappoint.

Before the All Access pre show, we were given a unique opportunity to meet some moms who are also circus performers.

It was really interesting to hear about how they literally juggle family and circus life. I was surprised to learn that they do get enough free time to explore the cities they tour in. They perform in 40 cities a year. One mom shared that she knows a lot of cities better than the people who live in them. There is a nursery and the children of the entertainers also homeschool. They get a firsthand lesson of history and geography in each city they visit as they travel by train.  The kids also get to learn juggling and gymnastics from the performers.

After our q & a session we got ready for the all access preshow. This is really worth getting to the circus early for. You can interact with the performers, watch and particpate in several activities.

I loved that they gave out free clown noses and tattoos to everyone at the pre show, which also gave your kids circus street cred.

Before the show, you can see an elephant paint, clowns, samuri, watch animals do tricks, and join in on a dance party.

The preshow definitely gets you ready for the show.  As you can tell, my kids were fully concentrating to make sure that they didn’t move during their participation with the jugglers.

It was really hard to pick a favorite performance because each unique act really added to the show.