A Big Top Circus Is in North Las Vegas Through Late October

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

Las Vegas Weekly featured the circus in its "What to do in Las Vegas this week: October 1-7" roundup, published September 30. The listing says Marinelli Bros. Circus is bringing an all-new production to the Cheyenne Sports Complex in North Las Vegas from October 7 to 25. It describes an intimate, one-ring Big Top with acrobatics, stunts and comedy, with the audience sitting close to the action. One note for readers: the Weekly marked it as a "Spotlight Event," which often means a promoted listing, so we checked the details against the circus and festival websites too.

The headline act is the Bello Sisters. The Weekly describes them as America's Got Talent finalists and ninth-generation circus performers known for strength, balance and artistry. Acts like theirs are usually called hand balancing or hand-to-hand work. Think human pyramids and one sister holding another overhead, all done with no net and no tricks.

The circus's own website lists more of the lineup. It names a Wheel of Danger act, a Trampoline Wall, Aerial Straps, ball juggler Sergio Reyes, Diana Rose the "Bubble Lady," Matti the Clown, magic by Patrick Marinelli, and Yasmin Rinny on unicycle and juggling. The site says the show runs about two hours and is built for all ages. Food and drinks are sold on site.

Here is the ticket picture, straight from the circus website. General admission starts at $20. VIP seats run up to $70. Children under 2 get in free. The circus also offers discounts for seniors and military members. You can buy online, or at the box office, which the site says is open from noon to 8 p.m. on show days.

One detail to check before you go. The circus homepage lists its Las Vegas run as October 3 to 26 at "Cheyenne Park," its online ticket calendar shows dates from October 7 to 26, and the Las Vegas Weekly listing says October 7 to 25. The location is the same city sports complex either way. Before you plan a date night or a birthday outing, open the ticket page and confirm the exact day and show time you want. That is the only way to be sure, since tent show schedules can shift.

Two Marinelli Bros. Circus acrobats in teal and gold costumes raise their arms to the crowd under the Big Top

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

Ask any parent in this valley what it costs to take a family of four to a big show on the Strip. Between tickets, parking, food and the drive, a single night out can get expensive fast. A circus that starts at $20 a seat, with free entry for toddlers, is a different kind of outing. It is the kind of thing you can do on a school night without planning for weeks.

Location is a big part of it too. The Cheyenne Sports Complex is a City of North Las Vegas park at 3500 E. Cheyenne Avenue. It is where local kids play ball and run track. For families in North Las Vegas, Aliante, Centennial Hills and the northeast valley, that is a short drive on surface streets. No resort valet. No walking through a casino floor with a stroller. You park, you walk to the tent, you watch the show.

There is also a quieter benefit. Big touring events in Southern Nevada tend to land in a handful of places: the Strip, the arenas, and the newer entertainment hubs in Summerlin and Henderson. North Las Vegas does not always get the spotlight. When a two-show run of Big Top events sets up in a North Las Vegas city park for close to a month, it gives residents on that side of town something to do close to home, and it brings visitors from across the valley into the neighborhood.

And it fits the season. October is when Las Vegas finally becomes an outdoor town again. Pumpkin patches, art fairs and night markets fill up the calendar. A circus under a tent in the evening is a natural fit for that stretch of the year, when the weather starts to cool off and families start looking for things to do outside the house.

For grandparents, the senior discount is worth a mention. For military families, the military discount makes it even easier to say yes. Ask about both at the box office or check the ticket page for details.

Background and History

The Marinelli name has deep roots in the American tent circus world. A September 2025 story in The Downey Patriot, a Southern California community paper, described the family as a fifth or sixth generation circus family. It said brothers Josue and Patrick Marinelli grew up performing with their parents, who did high-wire and flying trapeze acts. In 2025 the brothers struck out on their own as headliners with this production, "A New Experience," which began touring that March.

That same story noted something many parents will want to know. The show does not use animals. It is a human circus, built on acrobats, aerialists, jugglers, magic and clowns. That is a style many modern touring circuses now use, and it keeps the focus on what people can do with skill, strength and a lot of practice.

This is also not the first time the circus has come through Southern Nevada. The 2025 Downey Patriot story listed Las Vegas tour dates in October and early November of last year. The Vegas Variety Circus Festival, which follows the circus into the same tent this year, says on its website that its 2025 edition was held in North Las Vegas. The festival started in 2024, so 2026 marks its third year.

A blindfolded Marinelli Bros. Circus aerialist hangs horizontally from straps under spotlights inside the Big Top

It helps to know what "one-ring" means. Old-style traveling circuses sometimes ran three rings at once, with acts happening all over a giant tent. A one-ring show puts every act in the same small circle in the middle, with the seats wrapped close around it. You see one act at a time, up close, and you can watch the faces and hands of the performers as they work. For a first circus, that is a great way to see it. Nobody in your group has to wonder where to look.

A Marinelli Bros. Circus aerial straps performer in a white costume stands ready beside the ring, with red and white Big Top curtains behind him

The festival is a different kind of show. Its website says it runs five days with seven shows, from October 28 to November 1, at the Cheyenne Sports Complex. More than 40 acts from four continents compete in front of an international jury for gold, silver and bronze medals. The site says the jury is led by Dr. Alain Frere, a co-founder of the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, one of the best-known circus competitions in the world. Disciplines include acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, hand-to-hand acts and magic.

Festival tickets follow a similar price range to the circus. General shows run $20 to $70. Gala seats run from $35 to $45 in the back arena up to $80 to $90 for VIP. Children under 2 get in free on a parent's lap, and senior and military discounts are offered there too.

What Happens Next

Here is the simple timeline. The Marinelli Bros. Circus run is listed for early to late October. Las Vegas Weekly gives October 7 to 25, and the circus site gives October 3 to 26, so check the ticket page for dates. After that, the tent switches over to the Vegas Variety Circus Festival, October 28 to November 1. The festival says its full lineup gets published the week of the event, so expect more details on the acts closer to the end of the month.

If you want the best seats, don't wait for the last weekend. Tent shows have a fixed number of seats, and the front rows near the ring go first. The circus website says seats are limited and recommends buying online ahead of time, even though the box office sells tickets on show days. Weekend nights and the days right before Halloween are usually the busiest stretch for any family event in this valley.

Keep an eye on the weather too. Early October in Las Vegas can still run hot, and this year has started warm. The show is under a tent, so plan for an evening show if you can, bring water for the kids, and check the forecast the day you go. If wind kicks up, it is worth checking the circus's social pages or calling ahead, since tent events can be affected by high winds.

Ryan's Take

I love seeing an event like this land in North Las Vegas. When people ask me about buying on the north side of the valley, one of the first things they want to know is what there is to do nearby. They want parks, places to eat, and things to do with the kids that do not mean a long drive to the Strip or across town. A Big Top in a city park for most of October is exactly the kind of thing that makes a neighborhood feel alive. It also shows how much the city's own parks get used for more than ballgames.

When you look at a home, you are also buying the weekends you will spend near it. Community events, local parks and short drives to fun places do not show up on a listing sheet, but they are a big part of why families love where they live. If you are thinking about North Las Vegas, Aliante or the northeast valley, go to an event like this one and drive the neighborhoods around it on the way home. You will learn more about how an area feels in one evening than in a week of scrolling listings online.

Matti the Clown in a white top hat and white sequined suit points toward the audience at Marinelli Bros. Circus

What You Can Do

Start with the ticket page. Go to marinellibroscircus.com, pick your date, and confirm the exact show time before you head out. If you have a toddler under 2, they get in free, and if you have a senior or a military member in your group, ask about the discount. If you would rather buy in person, the website says the box office is open from noon to 8 p.m. on show days.

Plan your visit around the kids. The show runs about two hours, so an earlier performance may work better for little ones. Food and drinks are sold on site. The venue is the Cheyenne Sports Complex at 3500 E. Cheyenne Avenue in North Las Vegas, so put that address in your map app instead of searching "circus Las Vegas," which can send you somewhere else.

If your family loves the first show, mark your calendar for the Vegas Variety Circus Festival, October 28 to November 1, at the same tent. Watching acts compete for medals is a fun way to see a different side of the circus. You can find festival details at vegasvarietycircusfestival.com. And if you are building out an October bucket list, check out our stories on the free-entry Henderson pumpkin patch and the free Summerlin Festival of Arts, both linked at the top of this page.

A quick checklist for the night of the show:

Confirm your date and show time on the ticket page before you leave.
Use the full address, 3500 E. Cheyenne Avenue, North Las Vegas, in your map app.
Get there early if you are buying at the box office, so you are not rushing to find seats.
Bring water and a light layer. October nights can swing from warm to cool once the sun goes down.
Ask about senior and military discounts when you buy.
Plan on about two hours for the show itself, plus time to park and grab a snack.

One more idea. If you live on the north side of the valley, this is a good excuse to invite neighbors along. Events like this are how a lot of families meet the people who live a few streets over. Grab a group, split the drive, and make a night of it. Then come back for the festival at the end of the month and see which acts take home a medal.

If you live farther away, in Summerlin, Henderson or the southwest valley, plan the drive like you would any evening event across town. Leave a little early to beat traffic, and pair the show with dinner in North Las Vegas or downtown on the way. It is a good chance to see a part of the valley you may not visit often, and you may be surprised by how much has changed on the north side in the last few years.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime.

Ryan Rose | Real Broker, LLC | 702-747-5921 | ryan@rosehomeslv.com | rosehomeslv.com