There are not many American entertainments that can claim 148 unbroken editions. P.T. Barnum’s great audacious invention — the traveling circus scaled to the improbable and marketed to everyone — has outlasted vaudeville, the variety hour, early television, and most of what we once called the entertainment industry. The 148th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: The Greatest Show On Earth plays American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday, August 28, the first of three performances running through August 30.
About The Greatest Show On Earth
The 2026 production is billed as all-new — and in at least one significant way, it is genuinely different from the circus many adults carry in memory. There are no live animals. The show has been remade as a two-hour live talent showcase, its energy driven by a pop music playlist built from current hits and original tracks: a modern scaffold around disciplines that go back centuries.
The headlining act is The Flying Caceres, an 11-member flying trapeze troupe described by the production as one of the most technically advanced aerial acts working today. Contortionist Jordan McKnight, who appeared on Live with Kelly and Mark, brings a different kind of physical precision to the bill. Country music artist Maddox Batson performs in what the production bills as an exclusive, adrenaline-charged musical mashup — a pairing that fits the show’s music-forward reinvention. Rounding out the program: the Double Wheel of Destiny, a high-speed bicycle troupe, Mongolian acrobats, a Latin dance group, and Bailey the Robo Pup.
Before the main show, the Ringling Hype Crew runs a 30-minute DJ-led pre-show experience — included with admission — setting the tone for what this production wants to be: participatory, loud, and family-oriented without asking anyone to sit still about it.
Dallas is the fourth stop on a five-city Texas leg that opened in Houston (August 6–9) and runs through San Antonio, Fort Worth, and closes in Edinburg (September 3–6) — part of a 23-city national tour running May through December 2026.
Venue Information
American Airlines Center is located at 2500 Victory Ave in Dallas, a 20,000-capacity arena and one of the principal large-format rooms in North Texas. Doors open at 6:30 PM for Friday’s 7:00 PM start. Additional performances run August 29 and 30 with daytime and afternoon showtimes available.
Tickets & Pricing
Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster with all-in pricing and no hidden fees. All guests age 2 and older require a ticket. Get tickets →
See all upcoming DFW events at Lonestar Concerts.