Vermont’s most famous traveling circus will not be holding its summer tour this year.
The Circus Smirkus board of directors announced recently that it was cancelling the 2026 Big Top Tour, saying that running the traditional summer program would have “put the integrity of the program — and the organization itself — at risk.”
“Throughout the fall and early winter, we explored multiple models for putting the Big Top Tour on the road in 2026, including reduced and alternative formats,” Circus Smirkus executive and artistic director Rachel Schiffer wrote on the organization’s website. “Ultimately, none could be implemented responsibly without placing undue strain on staff capacity, timelines, or financial sustainability.”
Schiffer did not immediately respond to an interview request.
Circus Smirkus, which has its year-round offices in Greensboro, has been holding summer tours around New England for 38 years.
The organization trains a group of 12- to 18-year-olds from around the country, setting up a tent in more than a dozen towns in the summer for its annual circus shows.
Last summer, an 18-year-old performer was injured during a performance in Wrentham, Massachusetts, leading Cirkus Smirkus to cancel several performances.
The organization later in the fall announced that it was facing possible bankruptcy without additional support, and it sent out a fundraising appeal.
In her letter announcing this summer’s cancelled tour, Schiffer said that while supporters helped them weather the fiscal crisis, the board decided not to hold a tour this summer to reassess the future.
Schiffer said the group considered a number of alternatives for their traditional summer-long tour, including reduced formats.
But she said all of the options would have put undue strain on the staff and further threaten the organization’s financial stability.
Circus Smirkus will run its summer and school residency programs, and Schiffer said they expect to run some kind of summer tour in 2027.
“We know how much the tour means to so many people — performers, families, alumni, staff, audiences, and supporters alike,” Schiffer wrote. “While this pause is difficult, we believe it is an important investment in the generations of young people who will carry Circus Smirkus forward.”
