Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey returns to Los Angeles after 8 years

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is returning to Los Angeles for the first time in eight years and without animals.

The circus ended its 146-year run in 2017 because of dropping ticket sales, which followed the end of the use of elephants in its shows a year earlier. The show stopped using the animals after years of protests by animal rights organizations and cities including Los Angeles passing laws banning the use of "bullhooks" and other types of prods to wrangle elephants.

Feld Entertainment, the circus' parent company, announced in May 2022 the circus would return without animals. In addition to the absence of animals, there also wouldn't be a ringmaster. Instead there are three "show guides" who guide the audience through "an interactive and music-filled journey" filled with modern twists and classic circus acts, according to Ringling Bros.

Among the new stunts is "The Triangle Highwire," where three thin wires are connected in a triangular formation, 25 feet in the air. Four performers then jump over their partner's shoulders and ride a bicycle on the wire while another performer does a handstand on top of the moving bicycle.

The show's 360-degree stage will also become a skate park during the show, as a combination of riders on BMX bikes, a trail bike and extreme unicycle use double-sided ramps and a trampoline. The show also includes musical numbers incorporating original music and pop cover tunes.

The shows continue at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. tonight and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. The circus also had shows earlier this month in Ontario and Anaheim.