Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus stopping in Baltimore this year

BALTIMORE -- The reimagined "Greatest Show on Earth" is returning to Baltimore this year after a five-year hiatus. 

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is stopping for three dates - Nov. 24 to 26 - at the newly renovated CFG Bank Arena. 

The ticket presale for the shows are happening now, with public onsale starting March 21 at 10 a.m.

The show halted in 2017 after more than 140 years because of declining ticket sales and a mounting controversy over its use of animals.

The circus returns without live animals, which used to include elephants, tigers and other beasts. 

The new show will incorporate its performers' backstories to create a narrative throughline, rather than a series of disconnected, awe-inspiring acts, according to a New York Times report.