Royal Hanneford Circus back in White Plains for first time since COVID pandemic

The circus group has been performing at the Westchester County Center for about 50 years.

Emily Drooby

Feb 17, 2024, 1:26 AM

Updated 298 days ago

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Get ready Westchester: the circus is coming to town this Presidents Day weekend. Starting Saturday, the Royal Hanneford Circus will kick off a weekend of performances in White Plains at the Westchester County Center.
Royal Hanneford Circus say it is one of the last traditional three-ring American circuses currently touring.
Circus-goers will see acts like the Globe of Death, flying trapeze, clowns and a very special and very special nostalgic act.
"We are back and the show is bigger and better than ever. One of the things we are really thrilled to have with us this year for the first time in over 25 years in the history of the Hanneford Circus, is a recreation of the original Hanneford Riding Act," explained ringmaster Timothy Tegge. "That alone is worth the price of admission, it's a piece of circus history."
The show also features a Liberty Act by performer Catherine Hanneford Poema Rios. After losing her aunt to cancer, Hanneford Poema Rios inherited her aunt's mini horses.
Hanneford Poema Rios explained, "those little ponies were her pride and joy. So just to be able to continue her legacy and what she was doing with them, means the world to me, means the world to all of us," she says. "Being able to perform with them, it makes me feel like I still have a part of her with us."
A Liberty Act is when horses are directed through verbal commands instead of being mounted or held by reins.
Showtimes:
Saturday Feb. 17 – 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m.
Sunday Feb. 18 – 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m.
Monday Feb. 19 – 10 a.m., 2 p.m.
Starting Feb. 23, the circus will move north to Poughkeepsie to the MJ Nesheiwat Convention Center.
Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.