New Hartford Is Getting A Circus With A Dark Twist

New Hartford Is Getting A Circus With A Very Dark Twist

Forget everything you think you know about the circus. Something much stranger is coming to New Hartford.

Paranormal Cirque is bringing its creepy, dark, and definitely-not-your-average-circus experience to Sangertown Square from August 28 through August 31, 2026.

And if you're expecting cute clowns, colorful balloons, and a guy riding a tiny bicycle, you may want to rethink your plans.

grayscale photography of person wearing clown mask

Welcome To The Clown Castle

Under the black and white striped big-top tent known as the Clown Castle, you'll enter a strange world that combines theatre, circus, and cabaret. There will be acrobats flying through the air, illusionists, mysterious creatures, "freaks" and all the other elements you'd expect from a circus... except there's very little that's normal about this one.

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The show promises to transport audiences into a dark world inhabited by creatures with some seriously impressive circus skills.

Think circus meets horror movie, with a little cabaret thrown in for good measure.

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Not Exactly A Family Circus

This isn't the kind of show where you'd necessarily want to bring the little ones for a fun Saturday afternoon.

Paranormal Cirque is not suitable for children under 13. An adult must accompany guests aged 13 to 17.

So, if you've got a teenager who loves creepy stuff, horror, and anything involving things that probably shouldn't be crawling out from under a circus tent, this could be right up their alley.

Paranormal Cirque will be at Sangertown Square in New Hartford from August 28 through August 31. And honestly, if you're going to see a circus of the dead, a black-and-red tent at the mall seems like a pretty good place to summon the underworld.