World's Largest Permanent Circus

The free circus acts at Circus Circus have run since the property opened in October 1968, and Guinness crowned it the world's largest permanent circus back in 1974 — a title it still holds. Aerialists, acrobats, jugglers and specialty acts perform in the central ring of the Carnival Midway, upstairs on the mezzanine above the casino floor, with carnival and arcade games ringing the stage. No ticket, no reservation — walk up and watch.

The schedule is the thing to check now: performances run Friday through Monday only — 12:30 PM to 9:30 PM Friday and Saturday, 12:30 PM to 8:30 PM Sunday and Monday — hourly on the half hour, dark Tuesday through Wednesday and Thursday. Each act is one short routine (10–15 minutes) and the lineup rotates, so you can't pick what you'll catch. Standing room at the rail fills fast, the surrounding games are engineered to catch kids on the way out, and the property itself is a dated budget resort at the far north end of the Strip — come for a free act on the way to the Adventuredome, not as a pilgrimage.