The Timeless Magic of the Circus - Fun for Every Age

Pudding Pie is hitting the age when taking her to kid-friendly events is so much fun. Lately, we've taken her to some local music shows, we took her to see the fabulous Dora The Explorer, we've made several pilgrimages to Sea World and, for next month, we have tickets lined up for the Biscuit Brothers and Little Mermaid - fun, fun, fun!

By far our favorite outing was just a couple of weeks ago, when we took Pudding Pie to the circus. Feld Entertainment's Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey® was in town with their Over The Top show, and it was awesome! Pudding Pie was riveted for the duration of the approximately two-and-a-half hour performance. She applauded every chance she got and I snapped innumerable photos of the rapt expression she wore throughout the show. She still talks about the circus in awed tones and we've promised her we'll be back next year!

She loved the Asian elephants, was amazed by the tigers, and fascinated by the clowns. Before the circus began, we were already being entertained by the The live All Access Pre-Show, which began an hour before show time. The Pre-Show gives kids a chance to interact with performers, try on costumes, and get up close and personal at The Greatest Show On Earth - it's free for all ticketholders and not to be missed. Our seats were directly in front of an elephant who was painting a picture by holding his paintbrush in his trunk - Pudding Pie was fascinated!

I'm delighted to say that Feld Entertainment has created savings offers available by using customer codes for the Mom Central community. Mom Central has the following special family offers for the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey® circus: look for the box marked "MC Promotion" when purchasing tickets:
Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at select ticketing channels. Offer good on all weekday performances, which includes all weekday evening and Friday matinee performances; minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each.
Offer #2: All weekend performance tickets will be $4 off the original price.
Offer #3: Get the best Circus Celebrity, Front Row and VIP seats available – We have reserved seats in these sections just for you! Enter the code MOM. No discounts available on these sections.* Not valid on Circus CelebritySM, Front Row or VIP seats and may not be combined with other offers including special Opening Night pricing. Other fees may apply.

The above offers are good in the following cities:
Denver: September 30 – October 11, 2009
Boston: October 14-18, 2009
St. Louis: October 15-18, 2009
Cleveland: October 21-26, 2009
Rosemont/Chicago: November 5 – 29, 2009 *available for purchase on Sept. 8. 2009
Auburn Hills: November 18-22, 2009
Charlotte: January 27-31, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 12, 2009
Atlanta: February 12-21, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 12, 2009
Cincinnati: March 10-14, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 21, 2009
Dayton: April 29 – May 2, 2010 *available for purchase on Sept. 21, 2009

Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey® shows coming this fall & winter:
Over The Top: an all-new live entertainment extravaganza featuring a tug of war between Ringmaster Chuck Wagner and clown eccentric Tom Dougherty over a magical top hat that controls the circus. When the Ringmaster dons the hat he conjures stupendous spectacles for his circus, like the stunt riding Royal Cossack Cavalry while the clown uses the hat to summon whimsical acts for his circus, such as a cavalry of goats riding on ponies in a Barnyard Bonanza. They continue to top one another until the Ringmaster and clown realize that the magic of the circus is not in the hat but in the hearts of everyone.

ZING ZANG ZOOM®: A thrill-filled, mind-blowing circus spectacular where family fun is no illusion. Magical Zingmaster Alex and his assistant, the alluring Levitytia, lead audiences through a kaleidoscope of color and imagery revealing extraordinary worlds of fantasy, flight and phenomena that celebrates the uplifting spirit of the circus and wards off a cynical Mr. Gravity and his team of "heavies" who try to bring everyone down. Fun-filled magic merges with traditional circus arts to create a world of infinite possibilities where apprentice illusionists levitate their parents with a wave of a wand, and audience spirits keep rising as the high flying circus is (literally) turned upside down.

To learn more about Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey® shows touring the country this year and to find shows in your area, visit the Ringling site. And don't forget to use the special discount code when purchasing tickets online!

*Please note that these offers are also valid for Disney On Ice shows in select cities - visit http://www.disney.go.com/disneyonice/to find a show near you.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Feld Entertainment. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”