Review of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!℠ at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville

We had the wonderful opportunity to attend Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!℠  courtesy of the show promoters. Although they gave me these tickets, as you know, I am always honest in my opinions.

I had never taken my kids to see a circus before so we were especially excited about this afternoon adventure. We chose the afternoon show so that we would not interfere with bedtime and it worked out great for our family. The circus was at the KFC Yum! Center and the lower portion of the venue was mostly full, the crowd was moderate which was nice since we were dealing with kids.  We parked at the arena for convenience since it was raining, the fee was $10.

The show started promptly but even while waiting, there was pre-show entertainment with music and clowns. There were two main clowns that were so entertaining! This feature got the kids excited about what was to come and kept them from getting antsy while waiting for the show to begin. My son was hungry so we bought him a pizza which was surprisingly less than I expected at $7.50 – it was a snack for 2 kids so not a bad price at all compared to other options.

When the show started, my kids were immediately mesmerized. My daughter kept slapping my leg to alert me to what she was seeing – “See Mama? See?” She loved all of it, especially the horses. The show kept a great pace and had such variety. I have been to a lot of kid shows and typically, my favorite part is just watching the kids’ faces but the show itself is really just for them. With the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!℠  show, I really felt like everyone was entertained, regardless of age.

The circus featured dancing and singing, basketball players on unicycles, trapeze acts, tight rope stunts, a spinning double wheel group act, performers working amazing balancing strength acts and even some very talented flipping gymnasts. Clowns came out between every main act to entertain with silly messy paint, a fantastic poodle performance, silly magic and more. Of course, the kids and adults alike all loved the animals. There were elephants parading and performing, an incredible tiger show, snakes and rabbits, horses dancing and it was all really well done. Let me not forget to mention the girl that was shot across the arena from a cannon and the fireworks throughout the show!

The show had a short intermission and each part before and after was about 45 minutes. During the break, I got all of the kids a treat. I thought about cotton candy but it was $14 for one (with a hat)!! My goodness, no. I opted for animal shaped cookies from the Pie Kitchen cart and got 4 decent sized cookies for $7. Much more budget friendly and the kids were more than happy with those.

I really loved watching the tiger act because of the intensity and just the sheer danger of it- there were about a dozen tigers in the ring with one trainer! My son loved the cannon stunt and my daughter said the horses were great! My husband was impressed by the trapeze act.

This circus was a really high quality show. I went with a friend who has been to two others and thought that this “Built to Amaze” theme was the best she’s seen. I don’t really have a frame of reference so I just have to go with my overall impression and it was fabulous. I am so glad the circus comes to Louisville often- take the kids!

Be sure to check out this awesome promotion to get a FREE ticket if you currently have a child under the age of 12mo!

Stephanie

DCPD
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