Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to return without animals

FILE - A Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey clown does a somersault during a performance Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017, in Orlando, Fla. Four years after the “Greatest Show On Earth" shut down, officials are planning to bring back the The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. But animals will no longer be featured in their shows. A spokesperson for Florida-based Feld Entertainment says an announcement is expected sometime next year. The three-ring circus shut down in May 2017 after a 146-year run. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, file)

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is preparing for a comeback.

Feld Entertainment’s chief operating officer Juliette Feld Grossman made the announcement during a panel discussion at the VenuesNow Conference.

“In 2023 we will be relaunching Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus,” she said. “You can see it’s emotional and exciting for us as a family. We really feel that Ringling Bros. has incredible relevance to today’s audience.”

Feld Entertainment owns and operates the circus, which was shut down in May 2017.

The circus had been a staple in America for 146 years.

However, it was subject to protests from animal rights groups who claimed the circus mistreated animals.

Grossman told VenuesNow that the new circus will focus on human performances.

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