Midnight Circus Returns For Its 20th Year At Chicago Parks. Tickets Are On Sale Now

LINCOLN SQURE — Midnight Circus in the Parks will kick off its 20th season at Brighton Park with a free weekend of shows, and tickets for the rest of the season’s performances are now on sale.

Midnight Circus founders Jeff and Julie Jenkins launched their unique brand of acrobatic entertainment in Chicago’s parks in 2007. The popular circus features a variety of trapeze artists, tightrope walkers and acrobats, including Cirque du Soleil performers and the couple’s own kids and pets. 

A total of 23 performances are scheduled this year, spread between Chicago parks and suburban Evanston, Jeff Jenkins said.

This season kicks off with four free performances Sept. 5-6 near the new Chicago Park District headquarters at Brighton Park Community Campus, 4830 S. Western Ave. Tickets, which are available here, are needed to attend the performances.

“It’s a beautiful park, but it flies a little bit under the radar,” Jenkins said. 

Tickets for the other performances vary from $25 to $40.

“We work with each neighborhood and we ask what’s a doable price point,” Jeff Jenkins said.

The season will continue through the fall, with a final performance at 2 p.m. Oct. 4 at Welles Park, 2333 W. Sunnyside Ave.

Special guests this year include Book Kennison, one of the world’s most innovative jugglers and a longtime veteran of the Midnight Circus, Jenkins said.

“He’s long, lean and extremely bendy. He puts himself in these incredible body positions and juggles,” Jenkins said. “He’s based out of New York City and spends a lot of time in Europe. He’s a fan favorite who’s coming back.” 

Another “circus legend” returning to the “little big top” this year is Junru Wang. She won season four of “China’s Got Talent” and went on to headline Cirque Du Soleil, among other circuses, Jeff Jenkins said.

What’s more, a group known as the Chicago Boyz Acrobatic Team will make guest appearances. The acrobatic, double-dutch jump rope group has appeared on “America’s Got Talent” as semi-finalists and have performed during NBA halftime shows and other venues, Jenkins said.

“We worked with [them] for years, but then they got so busy for many years they weren’t able to make the tour,” he said.

For Jenkins and his wife, the Midnight Circus performances are a family affair.

Their son, Maxwell, grew up in the Midnight Circus ring. A Lane Tech High School alum, he is studying at University of California, Los Angeles while working in other circuses as well as in TV and film, Jenkins said.

“Our kids are hoping to be able to break off from their college and other commitments and come back in for a weekend of shows,” Jenkins said.

The Midnight Circus had a previous iteration that was in theaters across the city, but in 2007 the family put on their first show at Welles Park.

“We didn’t pre-sell any tickets. We just put the word out, and we hoped people would show up,” he said.

More than 2,000 attended the initial performance, which is why the family continues to organize the shows, he said.

“It’s a magical space, and in many ways, I believe that a circus tent in the middle of a public park is so much more accessible than a downtown theater,” Jenkins said. 

Neighbors see the purple and blue tent in the middle of a public park and then step inside to enjoy a moving experience. That’s what motivates Jenkins, his family members and fellow performers to continue the shows, he said. 

“You can hear the music coming out of the tent. You see the performers warming up backstage. It’s really a timeless, magical space,” Jenkins said. 

For more information, including a full schedule and specific ticket prices for this year’s performances, visit the Midnight Circus website.