The Greatest Show on Earth

This past Thursday evening we hopped on the Metro, and 20 minutes later, after answering NO to “Is this our stop?” about 10 times, we were finally at our destination: the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, to see a performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus.

Our fun evening started with a Meet-and-Greet in one of the arena’s private lounges. This special event was one of several Mom Central and Feld Entertainment (the producers of the circus) will host across the country.

Not only did the girls get to meet some of the performers, but I got to get to know Adrienne from Mom Central and some of my mom blogger friends in person, and mingle for a few minutes before going out on the floor. I just wish I would’ve had more TIME! I felt like I spent most of it taking photos of Maya and making sure she stayed away from the clowns (she’s terrified of ’em). But I know there will be other events in the future!

I highly recommend getting there early for the all access pre-show, which starts an hour before the main event. You get to see the animals up close, talk to the performers and get your program autographed, try on costumes, and even get in the ring and participate.

Watching Kelly Anne paint was probably one of my favorite parts.

This adorable elephant looked like she was enjoying herself quite a bit! She would dip the paintbrush in a variety of different colors, and only missed the paper once or twice. Maya was standing there with her mouth open, never having seen anything like it. Afterward one lucky audience member even got to take home one of her masterpieces! And Maya’s thoughts? – “Wow, she’s actually a pretty good painter, for not having any hands!”

Ringmaster Chuck Wagner started the show off with a salute to our men in uniform, many of whom were sitting in the audience with their families.

The theme of the performance was “Over the Top” – and that’s exactly what we got! A show jam-packed with wacky clowns, talented animals (frisbee-catching dogs, tigers, horses and of course, lots of elephants!), daredevil performances, graceful acrobats, and much more!

The girls really enjoyed it, but we left during intermission because it was getting late.

The Greatest Show on Earth is moving on to Baltimore next week, and then Fairfax in April, but you’re sure to find the tour coming to a town near you soon! Mom Central and Feld Entertainment are providing a special family ticket package offer in other cities across the country, including Houston, Dallas, Miami, Kansas City, Phoenix, Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Philly, LA, San Francisco, and Sacramento.

• Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code “MOM” in the MomCentral promotional box at www.ticketmaster.com. Offer good on all performances, but a minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each. Offer not valid on Gold Circle Seating, Circus Celebrity Seating, Front Row and VIP seating or combinable with other offers.
• Offer #2: A select amount of Front Row and VIP seats have been reserved for you to buy before they go on sale to the public – just enter the code “MOM” when purchasing those seats.

I love that Feld and Mom Central are making such a fun experience accessible to everyone! The code is good for any Ringling Bros. or Disney On Ice performance. With this amazing promotion we might just go back in April, but probably during the day this time so the girls’ bedtime isn’t interrupted.

A huge thank you to Feld and Mom Central for including us in such a wonderful program.