circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

is a traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, and other novelty acts. Circus or The Circus may also refer to:

Art and architecture

Roman circus The Roman circus (from the Latin word that means "circle") was a large open-air venue used for public events in the ancient Roman Empire. The circuses were similar to the ancient Greek hippodromes, although circuses served varying purposes and di ...

, an open-air public space in the Roman Empire * The Circus, Bath, a structure in Bath, Somerset, England * ''The Circus'' (Seurat), an 1891 painting by Georges Seurat

Literature

* ''Circus'' (magazine), an American rock music magazine 1966–2006 * ''Circus'' (novel), a 1975 novel by Alistair MacLean

Film and television

Film

* ''The Circus'' (1928 film), an American film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin * ''Circus'' (1936 film), a Soviet comedy musical directed by Grigori Aleksandrov * ''Circus'' (1939 film), a Swedish-Danish drama film directed by George Schnéevoigt * ''The Circus'' (1943 film), a Mexican comedy starring Cantinflas * ''Circus'' (2000 film), a British/American neo-noir crime film directed by Rob Walker * ''Circus'' (2009 film), an Indian Kannada-language film directed by Dayal Padmanabhan

Television

* ''Circus'' (TV series), a 1989–1990 Indian drama series * ''Circus'', a 2010 PBS documentary series on the

Big Apple Circus The Big Apple Circus is a circus based in New York City. Opened in 1977, later becoming a nonprofit organization, it became a tourist attraction. The circus has been known for its community outreach programs, including Clown Care, as well as its ...

* "Circus" (''Aqua Teen Hunger Force''), a 2002 episode * "Circus" (''Glenn Martin, DDS''), a 2009 episode * '' The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth'', a 2016 documentary series

Music

Performers

Circus (American band) Circus was a Cleveland, Ohio-based power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hook ...

, a 1970–1975 power pop band * Circus (French band), a pop group formed in 2012 * Circus (rapper) (21st century), American rapper * Circus, a 1967–1969 British jazz group that included

Mel Collins Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947, Isle of Man) is a British saxophonist, flautist and session musician. Collins has played in several progressive rock groups, having been a member of King Crimson on two occasions (the first from ...

Albums

* ''Circus'' (Argent album) or the title song, 1975 * ''Circus'' (Britney Spears album) or the title song (see below), 2008 **

The Circus Starring Britney Spears The Circus Starring Britney Spears, commonly referred to as the Circus Tour, was the seventh concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her fifth and sixth studio albums, '' Blackout'' (2007) and ''Circus'' ...

, a 2009 concert tour * ''Circus'' (Chiaki Kuriyama album), 2011 * ''Circus'' (Eraserheads album), 1994 * ''Circus'' (FictionJunction Yuuka album), 2007 * ''Circus'' (Lenny Kravitz album) or the title song (see below), 1995 * ''Circus'' (EP), by Stray Kids, or the title song (see below), 2022 * ''Circus'', by Flairck, 1981 * ''Circus'', by

Mary Black Mary Black (born 23 May 1955) is an Irish folk singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both traditional folk and modern material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland. Background Mary Black was born into a m ...

, 1995 * ''Circus'', by

Teflon Brothers Teflon Brothers is an Finnish hip hop group originally from Helsinki, Finland. The band consists of Pyhimys, Heikki Kuula and Voli. Commercial success Teflon Brothers released their first single "Matkal kotiin" in 2006. It was also featured ...

, 2017 * ''The Circus'' (Erasure album) or the title song (see below), 1987 * ''The Circus'' (Take That album) or the title song, 2008 * ''The Circus'' (EP), by Mick Jenkins, 2020 * ''The Circus'', by

the Venetia Fair The Venetia Fair was an American rock band from Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States. Formed in 2006, the band's final line-up was lead vocalist Benny Santoro, guitarist Mike Abiuso, bassist Charles "Mr. Chark" King, keyboardist Joseph Occhi ...

, 2009

Songs

* "Circus" (Britney Spears song), 2008 * "Circus" (Lenny Kravitz song), 1995 * "Circus" (Stray Kids song), 2022 * "Circus", by Brotherhood of Man later reissued on ''

Images An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...

'', 1977 * "Circus", by Circle from '' Kollekt'', 1998 * "Circus", by Friend & Lover, 1969 * "Circus", by John Cale from '' Walking on Locusts'', 1996 * "Circus", by Kim Taeyeon from '' Something New'', 2018 * "Circus", by John Denver from '' Rhymes & Reasons'', 1969 * "Circus", by MC Mong from '' Show's Just Begun'', 2008 * "Circus", by

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

, 1969 * "Circus", by String Driven Thing, 1972 * "Circus", by Summer Walker from '' Still Over It'', 2021 * "Circus", by

Tomoyasu Hotei , also known simply as Hotei ( ), is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, composer, record producer and actor. With a career spanning more than 35 years, Hotei claims record sales of over 40 million copies and has collaborated with acclaimed a ...

, 1996 * "Circus", by Uriah Heep from '' Sweet Freedom'', 1973 * "Circus", written by

Louis Alter Louis Alter (June 18, 1902 – November 5, 1980) was an American pianist, songwriter and composer. At 13, he began playing piano in theaters showing silent films. He studied at the New England Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Stuar ...

, 1949 * "Circus (What I Am)", by

Michael Quatro Michael Quatro (born 12 June 1943, Detroit, Michigan, USA) is a keyboard player and songwriter who has released eleven albums since 1972. He specializes in keyboard-driven progressive rock. Career Quatro's music gained popularity in Detroit, Mi ...

, 1972 * "Cirkus", by King Crimson from '' Lizard'', 1970 * "The Circus" (song), by Erasure, 1987 * "The Circus", by the Clentele from ''

Music for the Age of Miracles ''Music for the Age of Miracles'' is the sixth studio album by English indie pop band the Clientele. It was released on 22 September 2017 by Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was ...

'', 2017 * "The Circus", by Toby Fox from ''

Deltarune Chapter 1 OST The music of ''Deltarune'' comprises multiple soundtrack albums created and scored by Toby Fox. The first soundtrack album was released on Bandcamp on November 1, 2018, a day after the game was launched. In collaboration with Fangamer, Fox release ...

'', 2018

Other uses

* ''Circus'' (bird), the largest genus of harriers * Circus (company), a Japanese visual novel studio * ''Circus'' (video game), a ''Breakout'' clone released by Exidy in 1977 *

Circus offensive Circus was the codename given to operations by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War where bombers, with a mass escort of fighters, were sent over continental Europe to bring fighters into combat. These were usually formations o ...

, British Royal Air Force bombing operations during World War II * Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), nicknamed "The Circus", the UK foreign intelligence service * Circus, a United Kingdom term for a circular

road junction A junction is where two or more roads meet. History Roads began as a means of linking locations of interest: towns, forts and geographic features such as river fords. Where roads met outside of an existing settlement, these junctions often led ...