Big Apple Circus

I have a few other experiences to pull from as far as circuses go. I’ve been to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Cirque du Soleil, Spiegelworld and La Soirée. All of them are so different. I managed to grab TWO tickets for less then $ 10 and they were not in the back at all. There are discounts every where like Goldstar, Groupon, even on Big Apple Circus’ website where they were selling tickets buy one, get one free.
I would have never came if not for the cheap tickets. Circus clowns have never been my thing; I just do not find them funny. Then again I am not their usual target audience. This show was entertaining, for the price I paid. There were kids everywhere… kicking, crying, talking, screaming, hitting people with their toys. OMG. I was kicked by a kid behind me on my arm and shoulder on multiple occasions. If you can handle this, congratulations. The girl down the aisle from me got hit by a spinning toy on her head. WHACK!
What I really like about The Big Apple Circus is it’s a non-​for-​profit live performing arts type of entertainment. They have a goal to give every child and every family the opportunity to see a live performance of the Big Apple Circus. This is made possible by grants and contributions from individuals and institutions. The money they collect fund free and discounted tickets for children facing economic hardship, physical disabilities, and other challenges. This circus wants everyone to have access to the circus.
It seemed like it was the first circus experience for a lot of the children around me the day I went. Well, they didn’t understand this but it was my first experience with The Big Apple Circus too and I am… not a child. I think I was about 5 to 10 times (+) the age of some of the children around me. Yeah, I felt old. But some of the adults in the audience seemed to have never been to a show either. Some adults in front of us could not stop getting up and just stood there blocking everyone behind them. I had to ask them to sit down.
There is nothing new to me as far as the acts go. I have seen the same acts with other venues. Was I entertained though? Yes.** Would I come back? It’s always yes for me. I actually prefer this over Ringling Bros and Cirque Du Soleil, for different reasons though. One thing is you are definitely closer to the action. Another main reason I liked the Big Apple Circus, it was way cheaper than any other circus I’ve been to.
For my first time experience with The Big Apple Circus, it was really fun and thank goodness for the air conditioning. The only thing I hated was the porta-​potties. I’ve never been happy with porta-​potties in general though.
**The most exciting part was when the dude tripped while walking on the outside of the Wheel of Wonder. I heard some screaming. I doubt the tripping was on purpose, I saw the reaction on the guy’s face.

The Big Apple Circus is still AWESOME!
I have seen this circus many times in the past when they were down in the Financial Center before the big developments, next to Lincoln Center, and here in Queens.
The Big Apple Circus is always a joy to see.
It is for kids and adults too.
I love the ponies rides during intermission!

I had a great time watching this show. I went & it was pure joy in my eyes. It was amazing!
I bought a groupon ticket for $ 18 per person. Wow! What a great deal! It was just 15min away from where I live.
When I got there its pretty fast & easy because they’re very organize. If your driving, its pretty easy to find parking close to the streets. I show my email reciept & they gave me a ticket to get in. Boom! That big tent itself amaze me. Haha! Its full of colorful lights. The staff brought us to our seats & when the show start its very impressive! They have lots of tricks that I never seen in my life! They ask some audience to participate with them which is great.
This show is not only for kids! If you’re dating someone bring her here! Shes gonna be your gf the next day! Hahaha! Its that fun.
What a great way to end my weekend! :)

My wife and I could not remember whether this is the 14^th or 15^th straight year we have taken the children to the circus. Every seat is so close to the action that you feel the jugglers, acrobats, and clowns are performing for you personally. (This year, sitting in half-​price first row seats, much of the clowns’ patter actually was directed at my children personally.) Each show is a blend of artistry, acrobatics, and humor. I am so unhappy to hear that the circus may be forced to close. I cannot imagine taking my children to a huge, three-​ring circus as a substitute. They’ve gown up with the BAC.

My family and friends just had a special night enjoying the Big Apple Circus in Cunningham Park, Queens, NY. It wasn’t until mid show that we realized it’s a nonprofit circus serving over 300,000 under the big top each year and 250,000 other spectators through their various community programs. Pretty impressive!
We made the drive from Manhattan and found the free parking in Cunningham Park, Queens quite easily. Once we got our tickets we took our seats which were 3^rd row from the front! Our view was incredible. The arena is so small I have a feeling all seats offer great views. Regardless, being third row is still special and the girls were tickled about it.
The girls, ages 4 and 8, filled themselves up with blue cotton candy and popcorn while the show took their imaginations to great heights! This year’s theme was ‘The Grand Tour’ with featured acts from all over the world. Set in the 1920’s this extravaganza included trains, ships, cars and planes as the backdrops for the incredible acts. We watched jugglers, acrobats, horses, dogs, hula hoop experts and clowns all entertain us for about two hours. During a 2o minute intermission the circus crew led in a herd of ponies and let the kids take turns riding them for $ 10/​piece. I think this was my 4 year old’s highlight. The eight year old liked the large racing horses the best. The adorable dog show was my favorite.
I was so impressed with what I learned about Big Apple Circus, I want to share a little more.
The Big Apple Circus opened in 1977. One my favorite things they’ve done to date is started the clown care unit in 1986. It’s a group of professional clowns, trained extensively in hospital procedures, circus skills, and improvisation who make rounds as «clown doctors.»
In the 1990’s Big Apple Circus helped fund The Harlem Hospital Center. Their pediatric area became a headlining facility as professional performers specially trained as «clown doctors» would perform for patients.
Big Apple also offer a Circus of the Senses which is a circus performance specifically geared towards children with special needs including autism.
For the animal lovers concerned that the circus does use animals, they state that they «only work with domesticated animals, such as horses and dogs, many of whom are rescues, and our trusted, third-​generation animal trainer has been with the Big Apple Circus for close to 15 seasons.»
Tips:
Strollers are allowed, there is a special stroller parking section.
You can bring backpacks and purses into the arena with you.
Bring cash for the $ 10 pony rides, even if you don’t plan on it… you may get suckered into it.
Video is not allowed but photos without flash are.
There are plenty of bathrooms in the area, a combination of port-​a-​potties to park potties.
The workers are all extremely nice and helpful.
I can’t wait to see the new show next year!
For more family fun adventures check out:

This show was absolutely amazing! I went here with my husband and small son not expecting much of anything as we’d purchased our tickets of Groupon for a very cheap price.
We were completely blown away, we all had such a great time, we were like 3 giddy children from start to finish.
We were also very surprised when we learned that our seats were upgraded to ringside! The view was incredible and we ended up having an even better time. I’ll definitely come back again next year :)

This circus is amazing. Perfect, easy to get to location. Prices are very reasonable. They had tickets on groupon, living social etc

we had a great time. I went there with my 3 year old nephew, he loved it. show was amazing, ponies made him so happy. he didn’t want to go home. visiting circus made us laughing and forget about the world out of circus

No other show gets you this close to the action and performers. There’s nothing like it. Great seats and great animals and performers I’ve been going since I was a kid.
There’s nothing like it for sure like no other show on earth. My kids keep asking every when we can go.

Great place to leave our frumpy old selves behind and live life through the eyes of our nine year old.
An annual tradition.
I prefer the Cunningham Park venue to Lincoln Center — more laid back and plenty of free parking.
Never too young or too old for the circus… and make sure to check in on Unilocal for a free clown nose :)

Took the grandkids and we all totally enjoyed our evening. We go every year and this year was our best. There are a lot of talented circus people out there and the ones working for the Big Appke Circus are at the top.
Thank you Big Apple Circus

Big Apple Circus never disappoints.
I plan this trip every year for the first and second graders at my school. The kids love it. The staff is so easy to work with on the phone. The trip is very organized.
The show had some really great acts. Loved the lady with the dogs! There were 3 gymnasts that had amazing strength! If you ask my students what they loved they would say the two guys that went around in a giant Ferris wheel and did numerous CRAZY tricks — that my co-​teacher couldn’t watch!
Fun was had by all!

I enjoyed every minute of it! There are no cheesy clowns on a unicycle or the huge canon noises that used to startle me… My husband, who is hard to impress, thought the show was pleasantly entertaining too and no surprise, my kids loved it. I prefer the Big Apple Circus over Barnum and Bailey Circus any day!
We went on a Sunday 12:30 and we arrived 30mins prior to the show, as recommended. There were barely any lines at the ticket booth as well as the concession stand. We just sat there waiting while trying to keep my kids in their seats .I think arriving 10mins earlier is fine also.

You would think only kids enjoy the circus, but there is a kid in all of us. It’s hard to be angry at a circus, and it’s hard to keep yourself from having a good time. No matter your age and mood, the circus will always put a smile on your face. Come and relax for a few hours with this small company staged in an actual tent. Nothing but good feelings come from this show.

This probably sounds terrible, but I really wasn’t expecting much and the sole reason for going was to provide entertainment for my 3 year old.
The talent was really good! They had to be really skilled and professional to pull off what they did! I held my breath several times as there were several dangerous stunts. No lions and bears, but still, great acrobatics and thrills.
They had $ 10 pony rides during intermission which got you two circles in the center circus ring — I know, so overpriced, but the ponies were so darn cute and well groomed! Great picture opp.
I can definitely see why the center seats are the best — all the acts will face you. The next best would be the right side (when facing the stage), as many times the actors face that way too. I used the code «BIGAPPLE» at checkout for $ 25 off which was a code I saw on a billboard at the train station. This is a great show for kids of all ages. Also great entertainment for a birthday party group. Chuck E Cheese is down the street for continued fun.

Came here with low expectations, and we were pleasantly surprised! The show had a variety of fun acts, some more exciting than others, but overall the show was extremely well put together, and was much better than I had expected. The music was live, and the trumpeter was extremely talented. I would definitly recommend this Circus to people of all ages.

Who says the circus is just for kids? While the entire line was mostly couples with their children, we did see a handful of young adults waiting in line to get tickets too… made us feel a little better. We got our tickets via LivingSocial, but I noticed there are many other avenues to purchase discount tickets.
We got decent box seats with very fidgety children surrounding us with their newly purchased light-​up toys.
I personally have never been to a circus so I don’t have anything to compare this to. Unless Cirque du Soleil counts… but that’s at a whole ‘nother level. Some parts of this circus were actually a little boring and I found myself almost falling asleep — now maybe that’s different for a 10 year old boy/​girl versus adults in their mid-20’s. I also don’t know how I feel about animals being used for these shows (horses, dogs, etc), but that’s a conversation for another day. It’s not a long show — about 2 hours. There are many different acts for all types of people to enjoy.
It’s definitely a good show to experience… once, but I think I’d stick to Cirque du Soleil going forward.

I do not support circus’ that use animals in their acts. I much rather see Cirque du Soleil which is more thrilling and exciting.
Animal abuse is not fun to watch. Big Apple Circus is overpriced as well.

The circus was amazing!!! The performers kicked ass!!! The only thing is the concessions stand had ripoff prices!!! $ 5 for the smallest bag of popcorn you can imagine!!!

Went to the Big Apple Circus about few years ago and remembered enjoying it back then. Our little one is now 5 years old, so we figured that he would have a whole new appreciation of the circus this time around. I knew that it had been running for a while this season, but I did not seriously consider going until I found a deal on the mobile app TodayTix. I was skeptical about getting such a big discount (center preferred seating for $ 35 + $ 5 fee for tickets that usually cost about $ 95). I researched and the app had great reviews. I purchased the tickets for the last show of the season, on Sunday, January 10, at 4:30PM. I decided to drive in the Bronx and the drive both, in and out of the city was a breeze. Parking in and around Lincoln Center was also very easy with tons of free street parking available on Sundays, one reason I love coming into the city on Sundays as opposed to Saturdays. There are so many parking restrictions Monday through Fridays and even on Saturdays, including metered parking. I find that Sunday seems to be a general exception of these restrictions, making parking easy and free. We arrived at the tent box office (62^nd Street — Columbus) about an hour prior to the show and picking up the tickets was easy. I just gave them my name. Lincoln center area is beautiful, so if you have time to kill before the show I suggest you take a walk around the area especially near the fountain and along Columbus Avenue. Upon entering the tent, there is someone checking tickets and stroller parking. You then go through a tent tunnel to the concession/​souvenir area. There you can buy the usual popcorn, drinks, hot dogs, cotton candy, all of which are $ 5 each. Bags of candy are a big cheaper. They do check bags upon entry y the way, but the restrictions seem to only for glass bottles. Feel free to load up on snacks outside and bring in as I believe there are no restrictions for those. Bathrooms (port a pottys) are there. No camera restrictions either by the way except from «no flash» rule. I brought in my digital SLR along with two lenses, a wide and a telephoto without any issues. No Video allowed as during the performance as ushers came around to a few people that were recording with their cell phones to stop them. The tent itself is fairly small, so if there is a large price difference between the front «preferred» seats and the side seats of mezzanine, you are not losing much y taking the cheaper option. The views are great from everywhere. Show started on time. It was great with lots of talent. Hula, juggling, flexible people, horses, dogs and some mini skits. A game of musical chairs with a few audience members. 20 minute intermission in the middle, where they offer $ 10 pony rides around the ring. We did have a great time but I do not think I would return for anything near full price, as much of the show is stuff you would have probably seen before in any circus you have ever been to. I do recommend seeing the show for tickets you can get more than 50% off, which you can often find online.

The Big Apple Circus is GREAT!!! All the acts are fantastic — thrilling, creative, fun. This is everything a circus should be and all in a very intimate setting (for a circus). You really feel as if you are part of the action. Go to see this show — you will leave happy and smiling.

Really boring this year. Supposed 20-​minute break lasted nearly an hour do they could sell thousands of dollars of pony rides at $ 10 a pop. Kids had a decent time, but I was appalled at the cost.

One of the best circus to come to the city the kids really enjoy it can’t wait for them to come back next year…

This is a MUST SEE!
My dad was in town visiting and they had one of the performers at a Knicks game. We were impressed and he said he wanted to go (and they had buy one get one free tickets).
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was one of the coolest things that I’ve ever seen. All the seats are pretty close to the ring, but the show wasn’t full so they came and got us from the back section and put us in the third row.
All of the acts were top notch and they incorporated a lot of comedy throughout. The kids in the crowd really got into it, which made it that much more fun. I can’t say enough about the talent and the acts. We had a really great time and I highly recommend it.

I loved it just as much as my son did! When you first walk in there are the picture boards where you put your face into, my husband, son and I all jump to take advantage of that. They had a variety of snacks and it was perfect. The whole show was so amazing, the best was that the clowns were walking around talking to everyone before the show even started. My son was so happy! Everyone that was in the circus performed so well and had some cool performances to show off! And you even get a pony ride after the show! Definitely need to go before the show ends!

This show is great for all ages! I attended with low expectations, and was floored with the show talent, and at how much fun my boyfriend and I had. The acts were engaging, funny, and sometimes terrifying!
Don’t expect to see the cliché circus animals (lions, elephants), the show doesn’t use them. Instead they use highly intelligent rescue animals. Something about that just makes this circus even cooler. Or is it the fact they are not-​for profit?
The theme of the show changes each year, which is pretty impressive. This is officially making intolerant yearly tradition.

I’m surprised this is so lowly rated. I only attended (solo, not weird at all for an adult woman to be at a circus by herself) because it has been a NY Times’ Critic Pick for years, I managed to obtain a $ 15 ticket through travelzoo (I was upgraded to the fifth row when I got there) and I skipped the show last year. It’s a one ring circus meant to cater to families with small children and school groups. It more than served it’s purpose because whether it was multiple dogs performing magic tricks, the Arabian horse showcase or the nice lady manhandling upwards of 40 hula hoops, the children were enthralled. Honestly, I was mesmerized as well even though I am five times the age of their target audience.
I remember Barnum & Bailey’s Circus from my child hood and have seen a few Cirque du Soleil shows in the past few years, but I preferred this show for two reasons: (1) there were no traditional, white face, Ronald McDonald style clowns (more what I would consider heavily contoured emcees), even before I saw the movie «It» clowns have scared the hell out of me; and (2) a lot of the acts were organic and believable, nothing Olympic level complicated with bells and whistles, a fact which was impressive within itself. The hand balancers, the two men running through the air on the Wheel of Wonder and the Teeterboard Act were all standouts in a fully rounded, well-​realized show pretending to explore the various continents during the roaring ‘20s.

If you are going to limit the number of children allowed to ride ponies during intermission, you absolutely CANNOT cut off kids at the end after they waited the entire line. Disgraceful organization.

I haven’t been to the Big Apple Circus since I was 8, so I don’t really remember how the previous show was and can’t compare between the two but I really enjoyed my show last night. I was reading the reviews on here before I had headed out to see the show and was very worried that all the negative ones were going to be true. But thank god they were not.
My husband and I was seated near the curtains where all the cast would come out and start performing and I was really worried that the show would cater more to the middle audience. But that was not the case at all. The performers did a good job at making sure all of the audience was able to see all the stunts.
Overall it was a VERY entertaining show, my husband and I enjoyed it very much.
The bathrooms are portapottys.
Most items at the concession stands were $ 5.
Also when you check in with your ticket you should check in to Unilocal and claim your free clown nose: D

I took my nephews here for the first time. We sat on the side and what everyone noticed was that they only cater to the audience sitting in the middle. If you are on the side or back then more often than not you don’t know what going on. Other than that the show was cute not as spectacular as you would think.

About 2 hours long and very engaging (both my bf and i have short attention spans yet we were really mesmerized by the performances) My favorite were the hula hoop girl, the nonchalant juggler and the 3 male acrobats?
I did notice there weren’t a lot of women in the show (I think I counted 5 total) and was really hoping the aerialist would be a female, but we were entertained.
My main gripe is the way the seats are set up if you get seated to the back of the performers you miss some of the stuff. There was also a pole that held up the tent that obstructed by view a little bit.

Not gonna lie, my expectations going into this were pretty low. Especially after the first segment, which was the clown wandering into the crowd and (bothering) observers (who were pretty goo sports about it). But I guess he was mostly there for the children (I went for a mentoring event so everything was free.).
But WOW the acts were so good. I used to not be a major fan of gymnastics, but after trying some of those moves, I can really respect the gymnasts for all the hard work and dedication they put into it. Some of the acts were freaky (like the box…), and being a lifetime skeptic, I always try to figure out how tricks are done, but I could not figure out how they did the tricks here.
Some of the acts I didn’t understand, like the living carousel (had to look in the book to figure it out).
The food was okay (popcorn, cotton candy, hot dogs, also free because of the event), the porta-​potties were nasty (to be expected) and because it was a mentoring event, there was free dessert after where we could go onto the stage and (potentially) talk with the performers (I didn’t though.)
All in all, a good experience. Just don’t use the toilets. And I guess tolerate the clown.

It’s about damn time I finally went to the circus, redeemed my lost childhood one night when todaytix decided to sell tickets for a steal. After a credit and promo of $ 40 dollars, I snagged two preferred ring side tickets for only $ 40! Not too shabby eh? Pretty much a BOGO offer. The acts were all really good, my jaw dropped when the brothers performed and that girl who was able to fit in the box, oh and let’s not forget Tato and her balancing act! Great for the whole family or for a date night.

I was really pleasantly surprised at the Big Apple Circus. There wasn’t a bad seat in the house. The talent was really good. My jaw completely dropped at a couple of the acts.
The concessions were set up cafeteria style. I thought the popcorn and chicken tenders wouldn’t be fresh, but everything was fine. Oh, I was annoyed that the lids would not stay on the cups. Very difficult to manage snacks, drinks with no lids, coats and a 4 year old. Not sure if that can be fixed.
Best part: FULL BAR. My vodka tonic made the circus that much more enjoyable!
Loved the live band. Didn’t love the staff at the concession stand. Everyone else was super friendly.

Hard to rate a show you can’t see. I was 4^th row from stage in the center. My kids couldn’t see over the adults and the rows were so cramped that I couldn’t sit with my legs on front of me. I’m writing this review from the waiting area because I was about to lose the use of my legs. We basically paid to stare at the backs of heads.

Great performance and good setup, total worth your money. We went there on Christmas and bought the ticket on living social.

We absolutely loved it! It is a great place to go and bond with family and have some laughs and fun.
Paid $ 20 for a simply light up toy but it was to be expected.
The food vouchers came in handy, circus food, yum. The vouchers got us a free drink and a choice or popcorn or cotton candy. Awesome.
Loved it. The show was great. The seats weren’t bad. We got a good deal. Definitely recommend it.

Nicely organized and wonderful staff. Very friendly from the moment you walk in and to the moment you walkout! Free coat check and stroller check. Food wasn’t that expensive I think it was reasonably priced. The new metamorphosis show was superb and beyond this their last year’s act! We all loved it! Wonderful for the kids!

Disappointing. Not really for adults. Lose the tight rope act (they’re my parents age!) which was impressive, but the little number she was wearing was… Little, and she’s like 70yrs old!
This was the oldest group of performers I have seen before. It was awkward. I was really disappointed. The music was pretty lane too.
WHY TWO STARS? Because there were some cool acts, I loved the dogs and horses the most. The acrobats were great too. Get a new musical crew.
The audience was 90% children, and that’s when I knew I signed up for the wrong kind of circus. I have no idea where the pictures here on Unilocal are from but I didn’t see those performances.