After 146 Years, Ringling Brothers Circus Will Shut Down ‘Greatest Show On Earth’

Final show May 21 in Uniondale, New York

ABOVE VIDEO: The circus, known as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will hold it’s last show in May. (ABC News video)

(FOX) – After 146 years, the curtain is coming down on “The Greatest Show on Earth.” The owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus told The Associated Press that the show will close forever in May.

The iconic American spectacle was felled by a variety of factors, company executives say. Declining attendance combined with high operating costs, along with changing public tastes and prolonged battles with animal rights groups all contributed to its demise.

“There isn’t any one thing,” said Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment. “This has been a very difficult decision for me and for the entire family.”

(CLICK HERE to read the entire statement released by Feld Entertainment CEO, Kenneth Feld.)

The company broke the news to circus employees Saturday night after shows in Orlando and Miami.

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ABOVE VIDEO: The circus, known as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows, was started in 1919 when the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth, a circus created by P. T. Barnum and James Anthony Bailey was merged with the Ringling Bros.

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