Ringling Bros. ends 146-year circus run

The owners of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced Saturday that the “Greatest Show on Earth” would take down its tent for the last time in May. The circus has entertained families for 146 years, but attendance has declined for years. Crowds dwindled especially after the circus stopped using its signature elephants last year following a long battle with animal rights groups. But the demise of three-ring entertainment has more to do with the changing times than who or what is at the center of the tent. With so many other options for entertainment these days, people had less interest in seeing the kind of shows that made up standard circus fare. “It’s been through world wars, and it’s been through every kind of economic cycle and it’s been through a lot of change,” said Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, owner of the Ringling Bros. “In the past decade there’s been more change in the world than in the 50 or 75 years prior to that. And I think it isn’t relevant to people in the same way.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.