The smell of cotton candy as you step into the tent, kids waving around light-up toys, and the sound of vendors popping popcorn have all made their way back to Boston as the Big Apple Circus returns after a nearly decade-long hiatus.

From Oct. 9–Nov. 2, the iconic blue and yellow Big Apple Circus tent will be set up at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, reviving the one-ring circus tradition that has captivated audiences for nearly 50 years. Acts include the tightrope, balancing, unicycle, and flying trapeze, performed by artists from around the globe.

Paul Binder and Michael Christensen—two European street performers—founded the Big Apple Circus in 1977, and would later host some of the world’s greatest circus acts for nearly five decades and running. The first show in Boston was in 1985, starting a longstanding connection between the circus and the city.

This year marks the 48th season of the show and the start of the first tour since 2019, a return that ringmaster Brett Alters says will “start with a bang.” For the first time, Alters dons a top hat and takes the center of the ring as the ringmaster, mentored by Binder, the circus’s founder and original ringmaster. Stepping into his new role, Alters reflects on what the circus means to him and to the audiences who fill the tent night after night.

“The circus is an art form that’s designed to allow you to come in, be thrilled, laugh, have some true moments of beauty and inspiration, and to really take your mind off whatever’s going on,” said Alters in an interview with The Beacon. 

Joining him is Alexa Vazquez, a fourth-generation circus aerialist whose family is part of the team producing the show this year. It’s her first time working with the Big Apple, and while Alters brings a new voice to the ringmaster’s role, Vazquez carries on a legacy that’s been built over generations. For her, the circus isn’t just a profession; it’s her and her family’s way of life.

“Circus for me means family, it means tradition, it means good food, a lot of friends, a lot of laughter, and just a lot of really important memories that I myself get to create with my own family, and seeing generation after generation of performers is the best thing in the world,” Vazquez said.

The nostalgia of the circus draws many in; stepping through the entrance to the tent is like stepping back in time, right back to the first decade of the show’s run. But is it enough to draw in the crowds that used to gather before technology and other forms of entertainment started to dominate the field?

Attendance for the circus in Boston has started off modestly, with what Alters calls a “soft opening”—some really big nights mixed in among slower ones. But for him, each show is a chance to remind audiences of the magic that can only happen under the big top.

The 2020 pandemic resulted in many changes in the entertainment industry, bringing forth a break for the Big Apple Circus, but the team decided that it was a good time to bring it back. Now, with renewed energy and a new set of performers and artists, the circus is embracing its past while also keeping its eyes on a future of reinvention. 

“We are not a screen. You’re seeing something live, in your face,” said Alters. “It’s a moment to really connect with your family and connect with human beings who are doing something incredible.”