Ringling Brothers circus is saying goodbye to the Bay Area this weekend.
After 146 years, "The greatest show on earth" is closing its tents due to low attendance and high costs.
Nearly 400 performers are set to lose their jobs when the show ends its last performance in New York in May.
Their last five shows in the Bay Area started on Wednesday night.
The circus will run through Sunday at Amalie Arena.
Show Times at Amalie Arena:
- January 26 - 7:30 p.m.
- January 27 - 10:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.
- January 28 - 10:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.
- January 29 - 1 p.m., 5:30 p.m.
Arena officials said Tuesday that extra seats were made available to accommodate demand.
When fans come to the circus this time, it will be the last time audiences will see anyone perform in Tampa under the Ringling banner.
The performers say they feel the weight of history in this last tour.
In discussing the closure, CEO Kenneth Feld said high operating costs and declining ticket sales were made worse by the removal of elephants from the show, which Ringling announced as the circus left Amalie Arena in 2016.
The circus has spent years fielding pressure from animal rights organizations, which officials deny caused the shutdown.
Tickets for the final shows are available for purchase at Amalie Arena as well as the Ticketmaster website.
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