The Shrine Circus began at the Light Guard Armory in Detroit, Michigan. The circus was originally a one-ring show, by 1925 it had grown to three rings. That year it transferred to a larger building at the State Fair Grounds where it continued to grow and prosper. In 1996, it ran for 17 days with 40 performances making it not only the oldest Shrine Circus, but also the biggest.

By the 1920s Shrine Circuses were being conducted throughout the country, and each year additional Shrine organizations introduced circuses to their communities. Today over 120 cities host the Shrine Circus each year. The Shrine Circus season generally opens in Flint, Michigan in January. There is at least one Shrine Circus each week thereafter until late November, with the last circuses being held Thanksgivings week in Evansville, Indiana and New Orleans, Louisiana.

The circus and the Shrine are a natural combination. Shriners are fun-loving people devoted to raising money to support their children's hospitals and burn units; the circus is an institution designed specifically to entertain -- with a bent toward children. In fact many Shrine Circuses include Shriners as clowns and musicians.

The greatest show on earth is sure to be the show of the millennium.