Lansing Shrine Circus Company Profile

The Shrine Circus was founded in the United States in 1906. It travels to 120 cities per year in the United States and a separate unit travels to about 40 in Canada. It is affiliated with the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, a.k.a. the Shriners. The Shrine Circus has a history dating back more than a century. The organization celebrated their 104th birthday on 2/26/2010. Flint, Michigan usually plays host to the circus each January. The circus then travels to at least one city per week through November. Originally a one-ring affair, the circus grew to three rings by 1925. Detroit still boasts the largest event even as the show travels to other cities, having, in 1996, ran for 17 days straight with a total of 40 performances making it not only the oldest Shrine Circus, but also the most attended. By the 1920s Shrine Circuses were being conducted throughout the country, and each year additional Shrine Centers introduced circuses to their communities, creating a network as rich with culture and history as anything with the names of Ringling, Barnum or Bailey attached.