Under the Big Top - 4 Unique Circuses

The Atlanta area is awesome for circus fans. This winter there are four - each with a distinct personality.

If you like an artistic presentation and incredible displays of human ability - the Cirque du Soleil is for you. Kooza is playing under the blue and yellow tent at Atlantic Station until March 1.

For the classic circus with clowns, performers, and large animals check out Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey. Over the Top is playing Feb 13-22 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. Keep an eye out for fall performances at Gwinnett Center - we saw Boom a Ring this past fall.

UniverSoul Circus takes classic circus elements and sets them to an urban beat. Home based right here in Atlanta with performances all over the US, the show has elephants and tigers along with clowns and performers. Tony Tone and Zeke return to lead this year's show Feb 18-Mar 8 in the parking lot of Turner Stadium. For more info, check out their web site, youtube channel, or blog.

The Big Apple Circus brings Grandma back to Stone Mountain Park Feb 13 - March 7 in Play On. No elephants or tigers here but the shows usually have horses and a small animal act. Every year, they offer a Circus of the Senses show designed specifically for hearing and vision impaired audience members. No idea whether you can still get tickets for this year - the online deadline was Jan 22. More accessibility info is available here. This year, they have some special promotions - meet a clown in the "Little Wow Show" at the Five Forks Library on Tuesday Jan 27th or get your face painted at Bloomingdales on two dates in February.



We have enjoyed editions of each of the four - it's amazing how different each one can be and still include the core elements to be considered a circus. Our current family favorite is Big Apple Circus. We like everything about it from the intimate feel of the tent to the high-quality performances. We have seen performers from here end up at other shows. It was a ton of fun to see Justin Case and his tiny bicycle featured at Ringling Brothers this past fall but we saw him first (and closer) under the big top at Big Apple a few years ago.

See one, see them all - four unique shows - all here at the same time. Go get some popcorn and ENJOY THE CIRCUS!