Italian circus pops up in Taylor Walmart parking lot from May 17-May 26 on first U.S. tour
Scranton residents and shoppers of the Walmart Supercenter in Taylor may have noticed some large tents popping up in the parking lot over the last few days. It’s easy to assume that it’s just another flower tent or carnival that commonly set up next to local businesses and shopping centers, but what’s underneath here is a whole lot more interesting.
An Italian circus called Cirque Bellucci is coming to town on their very first tour of the United States. While it may seem strange to hold this type of event in the massive Taylor Commons parking lot that Walmart (1325 S. Main Ave., Taylor) shares with Subway, GameStop, Rent-A-Center, Mattress Warehouse, Dollar Tree, Tobacco Road, and Tractor Supply Co., their initial stops included Pennsylvania mall lots in Harrisburg (Colonial Park Mall), Whitehall (Lehigh Valley Mall), and Langhorne (Oxford Valley Mall).
The animal-free circus held under the round big top will include death-defying stunts and performances by acrobats, aerialists, and clowns, all members of a traveling entertainment troupe founded by the Bellucci family in Bari, Italy in 1906. In addition to Italy, Cirque Bellucci has previously performed in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Cyprus.
Ahmed Seleem, president of First International Event LLC, recently told the Morning Call that “visitors can expect to see performers in flashing lights and bursts of smoke riding unicycles while balancing partners on their shoulders; motorcycle riders spinning at high speeds within a glittering, translucent globe 15 feet in diameter; and acrobats hanging and twirling from suspension bars while gripping them by their teeth.”
Running Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 26, show times are weekdays at 7 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Tickets, which range from $10-$40, are on sale now via cirquebellucci.com. According to the circus’ Facebook page, tickets are free for children ages 3-12 with the purchase of an adult ticket; use coupon code “Bellucci.” The first 100 tickets to all shows are 50 percent off if purchased before Thursday, May 16.
