My Photos: First Trip to the Ringling Bros. Circus

We took our children to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey "Fully Charged" Circus in Boston last week.  Although our 8 year old son had been to the Big Apple Circus in the past, it was our 5 year old twins' first trip to the circus ever.  They were beyond excited.

I fully expected to have a hundred great photos to share, but I had all sorts of problems with my Nikon D-SLR.  On automatic, the lens would only focus and allow me to take a photo when I was zoomed completely out.  Then about 1/3 of the way into the show, it snapped out of it and was functioning again.  By intermission, my camera battery had been drained from all my incessant clicking during the first 1/3 of the show in an effort to get the camera to work.  All my photos from the second half of the show were taken with the camera in my Samsung Focus Windows phone.  It was difficult enough to photograph using my D-SLR with all the special lighting effects that were part of the show, but it was even more challenging using my phone.


Here are some of my favorite photos from the opening night show . . .

You can view my photos of the All Access Pre-show Party here and all my photos from opening night here.

Click here to view all my past favorite photos.

My family received press passes to this show from Feld Entertainment.  Any opinions expressed are my own.

Photos from the Ringling Bros. "Fully Charged" All Access Pre-show Party

Last week, my family attended the opening night of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus "Fully Charged" show in Boston.  Before the show, it was a wonderful treat to be invited onto the floor to see some of the performers and animals at close range.  Although my children were a little too nervous to participate, a few others were courageous enough to try out tightrope walking and some juggling.  Seeing the performers in action with their own eyes up close made them realize how awesomely difficult each act really was.

Our children were happy to receive temporary tattoos to show their friends that they had been to the All Access Power Up Pre-show Party at school the next day.  The pre-show party was such a great way to start off the evening!

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You can view all my photos from opening night by visiting 3G2S on Facebook.


My family received press passes for this show from Feld Entertainment.

Circus Trivia: How Many Costumes Are There in the Ringling Bros. "Fully Charged" Show?

In addition to the charismatic ringmasters, amazing animals, skilled acrobats, and hilarious clowns, another aspect of the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus I look forward to is seeing the uniquely designed costumes.  Can you guess how many costumes are actually used altogether to put on the Ringling Bros. "Fully Charged" Circus?  Watch the video below, which features an interview with costume designer Susan Hilferty, to find out . . .


Were you able to discover the answer?

The answer is over 400 costumes are used in the "Fully Charged" Circus show.

For 2012, Ringling Bros. will be in Boston at the TD Garden from October 10th thru 14th.  Remember to grab this Kids Night Coupon Code before ordering your tickets.


Feld Entertainment provided tickets to the show for my family as a thank you for taking the time to share this information with my readers.  All opinions are my own.

Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus "Fully Charged" is Coming to Boston (Promo Code for $15 Kids Tickets)

It's been quite awhile since my husband and I have been to the Ringling Bros. Circus.  It must have been at least a decade.  We have been anxiously waiting for our children to be old enough to attend, enjoy the show in its entirety, and to take away some fond childhood memories that they will have for the rest of their lives.

The newest show, Fully Charged, is coming to Massachusetts at both the TD Garden in Boston and the DCU Center in Worcester.  Learn more about this show from the Fully Charged ringmaster . . .



Below are the show dates for Massachusetts:

Worcester -- DCU Center, October 3-8

Boston -- TD Garden, October 10-14

If you're planning on attending during the above dates, be sure to take advantage of the special Kids Night Offer, which allows you to purchase kids tickets to Ringling Bros Circus for just $15.  Simply purchase tickets using the Code: KIDS. Offer valid on $50 and $20 price levels. Excludes premium seating (Circus Celebrity, Front Row). No double discounts; offer not valid on previously purchased tickets.

Feld Entertainment provided tickets to the show for my family as a thank you for taking the time to share about this event.  All opinions are my own.

Disney On Ice Presents "Dare To Dream"

Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of attending Disney On Ice: Dare To Dream at the TD Garden in Boston.  The show will be running during the entire February school vacation week through Sunday, February 26th.  What a great way for us to kick off school vacation week for our children!  I have shared some of my family's favorite parts of the show with you below, but you can view all my Disney On Ice: Dare To Dream photos on the 3G2S Facebook page.

Compared to the last Disney On Ice show we attended, Treasure Trove, this one told three complete stories rather than one significant scene from many Disney films.  Since this show was about dreams, the stories included were that of The Princess and the Frog, Cinderella, and Tangled.

I think our whole family agreed that Cinderella's coach was very impressive.  Our 5 year old daughter's favorite part was the character Rapunzel.  My husband was most impressed by the horse Maximus in Tangled.  I have to agree with him, but the part I always enjoy the most is the finale in which all the Disney Princes and Princesses come onto the ice.  In this case, they were all guests at the grand celebration of the return of the lost princess Rapunzel.

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I should also point out that there were some stunts that looked a little risky in this show.  At one point, Flynn Rider is lowered and raised in a harness.  There was quite a routine with Flynn and Rapunzel when she finally leaves the tower for the first time.  Both characters spent quite a lot of time airborne, holding onto only the fabric that represented Rapunzel's long golden hair.

I highly recommend this show for children who have good attention spans since there are three complete tales told.  To learn more about this and other Disney On Ice shows, visit Disney On Ice on Facebook.  For showtimes and ticket prices, visit Ticketmaster.com.


Thank you to Feld Entertainment for providing show tickets for my family to facilitate this review.

Disney On Ice Presents Treasure Trove

On the evening following Christmas Day, our family had the special treat of attending the show Disney On Ice:  Treasure Trove at the TD Garden in Boston.  Although we did have the pleasure of attending Smucker's Stars On Ice earlier this year, this was our first Disney On Ice experience.  The whole family found it to be extremely enjoyable, so I wanted to be sure to share our favorite parts of the show.  I wish I had known that it was permitted to take photos during the performance because I would have brought my D-SLR.  Alas, I had to make due with the camera in my phone.  To see all my Disney On Ice photos, visit 3G2S on Facebook.

Our children will be 5, 5, and 8 in January.  The show was very age-appropriate for them, even the parts that depicted danger.  One aspect I really liked is that a key scene from each Disney film was shown in every segment, such as the death of Mufasa in The Lion King, the frying pan scene in Tangled, when Aladdin made his entrance as Prince Ali, the March of the Cards in Alice in Wonderland, and so forth.

As far as skating goes, I had no idea what to expect because many of the performers were dressed in costumes, some of which were very elaborate.  The solo performance that stood out to me the most was the one by Peter Pan.  There were also many moving couples performances, such as those by Simba and Nala, Aladdin and Jasmine, Snow White and Prince Charming, and Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.

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Lighting, special effects, and scenery played a large part in making this show a magical experience for children.  My husband and I both agree that the wildebeest stampede during The Lion King segment was very well done.  Our nearly 5 year old daughter's favorite part of the whole show was the enormous crocodile that ate up Captain Hook.  Other cool effects were the costumes and lighting at the beginning of The Little Mermaid segment and the releasing of the lanterns in the Tangled segment.

Since our daughter received an 18" Belle doll from Santa this year, she asked me before the show whether this particular Disney Princess would be in the show.  I did not know the answer at the time, but now I am happy to report that the characters who were not part of the main show did make an appearance during the finale.  Not only did we see Belle from Beauty and the Beast, we also saw Cinderella, Mulan, and Aurora of Sleeping Beauty.

To view the show schedule for Disney On Ice: Treasure Trove, visit Ticketmaster.com.  Visit Disney on Ice on Facebook to learn more about this show and the upcoming Toy Story 3 show.


Thank you to Feld Entertainment for providing complimentary show tickets to facilitate this review.