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PhotoTO: The Circus Is In Town

By John Beebe

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Garden Brothers Circus, one of the last great Canadian-based family circuses, launched its season this week and Torontoist was there for a behind the scenes look. They have shows on March 8 and 9 at 12:00 and 4:00 p.m., all at the Mississauga Hershey Center. Their website has more information and tickets.


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Let the show begin.
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This show includes clowns and elephants, everything you’d need for a classic circus experience.
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Ringmaster Ian Garden handles the horses.
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In his routine, Hungarian Karoly Zeman deconstructs the bicycle.
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Clown John Kane and Chase Garden, dressed as a rooster. Chase is ten years old and the fourth generation of Gardens to work in the circus.
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Performers come from as far away as China.
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Ringmaster and producer Ian Garden is a third generation circus owner. Every year for seventy-one years, his family has been producing a totally new line-up of acts.

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  • LukeC

    Not to get all political here, and it may not have been the Garden Brothers but I remember years back for some unfortunate reason I ate at the Hard Rock Cafe at the Skydome, with our windows facing out onto the backstage area of the circus. I’ve never seen so many depressed caged animals in my life! If only the children knew, although at least they aren’t as depressed as that ten year old rooster must be.

  • iamnotdynamite

    all circuses treat animals badly. think about what has to be done to them so that they’ll perform things that are completely unnatural to them. and of course, any circus (especially if it’s a travelling one) would be incapable of giving as large an animal as an elephant a decent life.

  • Ling

    I can’t stand circuses because of the harsh treatment of animals.
    And the clowns! They freak me out. It reminds me of one of my favourite Deep Thought by Jack Handy:
    “To me, clowns aren’t funny. In fact, they’re kind of scary. I’ve wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.”

  • Bleb

    I wouldn’t have thought that animal circuses would still be legal in Canada. I’m also surprised that there’s enough demand to sustain them. Sad and depressing.