Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, the live entertainment troupe that provided greater Sarasota with its most enduring cultural legacy, will hold its final performance in May, according to a message posted Saturday night by Feld Entertainment CEO Kenneth Feld. The move marks the end of a 146-year run for what for a century was known to countless families as “The Greatest Show On Earth.”

“After much evaluation and deliberation, my family and I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will hold its final performances in May of this year. Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop. This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company.”

The Ringling Bros. Circus was founded in 1884 by five brothers—Albert, August, Otto, Charles and John Ringling—who had grown up together in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The show changed the image of circus in North America into a wholesome, family-friendly affair, with the brothers’ commitment to running an operation that didn’t rely on freak shows or charlatans. The circus in 1919 was merged with the Barnum & Bailey Circus and has operated under a combined name ever since.

Sarasota’s own history became forever intertwined with the Ringling entertainment empire after Charles and John Ringling moved to Sarasota and located the winter headquarters for the circus here in 1927. While the circus would leave the region in 1960, many circus families have stayed in Sarasota for generations, and the community remains a home to such modern circus stars as Bello Nock and Nik Wallenda. The Circus Ring of Fame, which on Saturday inducted Ringling descendent Henry Ringling North and the rest of this year’s class, remains an attraction on St. Armands Circle.

Feld Entertainment, the owner of the circus since 1967, announced in 2012 that it would move its corporate headquarters, including the circus, to a campus in Palmetto that also houses Disney Live, Monster Jam and other Feld properties.

In recent years, the circus has confronted challenges including diminishing ticket sales, audiences shifting toward digital entertainment and criticism from animal rights organizations. The circus last May ended the inclusion of elephants in performances, bringing to a close a tradition that dated back to the circus’ beginnings.

The full transcript of Feld’s letter to the public is included below:

“After much evaluation and deliberation, my family and I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® will hold its final performances in May of this year. Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop. This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company.

Nearly 50 years ago, my father founded our company with the acquisition of Ringling Bros. The circus and its people have continually been a source of inspiration and joy to my family and me, which is why this was such a tough business decision to make. The decision was even more difficult because of the amazing fans that have become part of our extended circus family over the years, and we are extremely grateful to the millions of families who have made Ringling Bros. part of their lives for generations. We know Ringling Bros. isn’t only our family business, but also your family tradition.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Circus XTREME will conclude its tour at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., on May 7, 2017, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Out Of This World will conclude its tour at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., on May 21, 2017. We hope you will come to celebrate this American icon for one last time before our tours conclude.

Our company provides quality, live family entertainment, and we invite you to bring your family to one of our other events, including Marvel Universe LIVE!, Monster Jam, Monster Energy Supercross, AMSOIL Arenacross, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!, as well as future productions.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has served as inspiration for all of the live entertainment produced at Feld Entertainment. We learned from the circus, and applied those learnings to our other productions. Without Ringling Bros., we wouldn’t have the vibrant live entertainment company that we have today. Ringling Bros. will always be part of Feld Entertainment, and its spirit will live on in every production and project we do.

Sincerely, 
Kenneth Feld”