PhotoRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus announced on Saturday night that after 146 years of performances, it was folding its big tent forever. In a statement on the company’s website, Kenneth Feld, the chief executive of Feld Entertainment, the producer of Ringling, said the circus would hold its final performances in May. He cited declining ticket sales, which dropped even more drastically after elephants were phased out from the shows last year. “This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company,” the statement said. An estimated 10 million people go to a Ringling circus each year.

Source: New York Times January 15, 2017 04:15 UTC