Circus Smirkus calls off 2026 Big Top Tour
April 30, 2026 | By Lisa Scagliotti
Circus Smirkus performs in Waterbury in 2023. Photo by Gordon Miller
Facing serious financial challenges following last year’s summer tour, Circus Smirkus will not be on the road this summer to Waterbury or its dozen or so other venues in Vermont and around New England.
The Greensboro-based nonprofit youth circus in February announced a pause in its Big Top Tour for 2026 as it regroups from organizational and financial repercussions following the 2025 season.
The leadership at Circus Smirkus is working through the financial repercussions from the 2025 Big Top Tour, which saw some weather-related disruptions to performances along with a significant mishap during a show in Wrentham, Massachusetts, in which an 18-year-old troupe member was seriously injured in a fall during an aerial act.
As a result of the accident, Circus Smirkus cancelled multiple performances in the second half of its summer schedule and the lost sales dealt a significant financial blow.
“The canceled shows and resulting $300,000 in lost ticket revenue that followed pushed the nonprofit to the brink of bankruptcy,” reported Seven Days newspaper.
The decision was made early this year for the Big Top Tour to take a hiatus for the first time in the organization’s 40 years as the Circus Smirkus staff and board members figure out a path forward.
The pause is in effect only for the touring part of the operation. Circus Smirkus is still offering a full slate of summer youth residential camps and it will continue its residency programs at schools and other sites this year. For the past three summers, Circus Smirkus has performed multiple shows at Farr’s Field on U.S. Route 2 in Waterbury. The circus shifted to the Waterbury venue in 2023 after ending its typical Central Vermont run in Montpelier following changes made at the Montpelier High School field.
The 2025 Big Top Tour involved 29 youth troupe members, ages 12 to 18, performing a variety of circus arts acts including juggling, acrobatics, aerial stunts and comedy. Traveling in about two dozen vehicles, the tour had approximately 80 members that included a house band, cooks and crew.
Last summer’s tour schedule had 65 shows in 15 towns across New England. Circus Smirkus performed four shows in Waterbury in early July. Two of those shows got cut short due to severe thunderstorms; no one was injured.
Reached late last week, Farr’s Field owner John Farr said he was not aware of the change in plans for Circus Smirkus this summer. He said the event was a big draw the past few years, but it was not a significant money-maker for his summer business. He said he wishes the circus well as they sort out their plans, and he would welcome them back should the tour resume in the future.
Checking in with fans, supporters
In an April letter to its fans and supporters, Circus Smirkus emphasized that its summer camps are moving ahead on schedule this summer but “we won’t be sending a Big Top Tour down the road.”
The letter says this year will be a “year to pause and reimagine the future of the Big Top Tour…to think rigorously about how we can continue to strengthen all of our programs – from Tour to Residencies and Camp – for generations of Smirkos to come.”
One part of this process involves a survey to gather feedback from the public. Circus Smirkus is working with the firm Listen4Good to gather input for the organization to consider as it decides its next steps.
The anonymous survey is online and will be open through May 5, according to circus Marketing Manager AC Shilton. Circus attendees, families of circus camp participants, supporters and community members are invited to weigh in on the future of Circus Smirkus.
“Tell us about the mud and the magic – what you love and where we could improve. We will use your feedback to help guide planning for future programming and to examine how we engage with and operate within our community,” said Rachel Schiffer, executive and artistic director, in a recent newsletter. The survey can be found online and should take fewer than 10 minutes to complete.
Schiffer said the goal is to bring back the touring circus in 2027. “While this pause is difficult, we believe it is an important investment in the generations of young people who will carry Circus Smirkus forward,” she said.
Summer camps continue
Meanwhile this summer, Smirkus staff will be busy with summer camp sessions for youngsters ages 5 to 18, and even some special family camp weekends that welcome parents to join in. Shilton said most sessions have openings.
In addition, Circus Smirkus has received a grant from the Greensboro Association that will be put towards discounts for local campers, Shilton said. When registering for a camp, parents should use the code CIRCUSNEXTDOOR26. It will provide reduced tuition for all camp levels: the one-day Smirkling for a Day will be $75 (normally $250); the Smirkling Overnight session will be $200 (normally $495); all other levels will be $1,500 (normally $1,795).
More information at smirkus.org.
See recent reporting on Circus Smirkus by Seven Days here.