ENGLEWOOD — The Midnight Circus is returning to Englewood Aug. 27 and 28.
The circus is making multiple stops this summer, including at Ogden Park, 6500 S. Racine Ave. Performances on both days start at 3 p.m. and tickets are $5. They can be purchased in advance online. The circus will start right after the Englewood Back-to-School Parade.
Ogden Park Advisory Council President Nicole Vaughn said that Englewood needs more entertainment and events for its children. This is the circus’ third year in the community and she said it’s greatly welcomed.
“People are looking for something,” she said. “There isn’t much to do. It’s my job to create something for the community.”
The circus is a fundraiser for the park, Vaughn said, so that the advisory council can purchase anything the park needs.
Jeff Jenkins, a Lincoln Square resident who used to work for the Ringling Bros. Circus, created Midnight Circus 10 years ago. Both he and his wife have always been creative people who loved live performances, he said. They started the Midnight Circus on the North Side, but he said that it was important for them to expand south.
“We have an abundance of stuff on the North Side so we were really committed to making sure we could bring the circus down to Englewood,” he said.
The $5 ticket price is a cut from the usual $20 for adults and $15 for children. Jenkins said he wanted to make sure people in Englewood could afford the circus.
“Every kid in Chicago should have access to a great, well-funded, programmed public park and part of that is some entertainment they can take in,” Jenkins said. “We’re bringing them a first-class circus.”
Many of the performers have also worked with Cirque du Soleil, among other major contemporary circus companies, Jenkins said.
After Englewood, Midnight Circus will be in Roseland at Gately Park, 44 E. 103rd St. next.
“We’re going there for the first time this year,” Jenkins said. “We’re very excited.”
For a full list of tour dates, visit midnightcircus.net.
The program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks with the support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
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