Vargas History

In 1969, Clifford E. Vargas fulfilled his childhood dream when he raised the canvas of what was to become “Americas favorite Big Top Circus!  Having been a lifelong circus spectator and fan, Mr. Vargas believed he could bring back the glamour, thrills and heart-pounding excitement of the authentic old-time circus. He was adamant that a circus wasn’t a circus if  it wasn’t under the big top and  wanted to make sure that every generation would have the opportunity to experience its magic first hand.   He was dedicated and determined to make the name Circus Vargas synonymous with family entertainment and continued to do so until his untimely death in 1989.

Show must go on!

With the future of the show in jeopardy, Roland Kaiser and Joseph Muscarello, both longtime friends of Mr. Vargas and management executives with the show, joined forces and took over the reins at Circus Vargas.   As co-producers their combined talents proved to be a triumphant union.  Together they collaborated successfully for almost fifteen years,  investing, sacrificing risking, modifying, transforming and ultimately saving the  show that had meant so much to so many. They successfully continued the Circus Vargas legacy until their retirement in 2003,  producing a show that even a hard to please showman like Clifford Vargas himself would  be proud of.

the story continues....

Clifford Vargas often traveled the world in search  new and exciting acts.  In the late 1980’s on a trip to South America he stumbled upon The “FLYING TABARES” of Argentina!  When he saw brothers Nelson and Alberto perform their trapeze act to standing ovations, he  wasted no time in hiring them, bringing them to the United States to perform in his 20th anniversary edition of Circus Vargas.  Throughout different times in their career,  the Tabares also worked under the management of  Mr. Kaiser & Mucarello.    When they heard the  owners would retire and the big top would come down for good , they seized the opportunity to take over the circus that had jump-started their career, and had always held a special place in their hearts.  In 2005, Nelson & Katya Quiroga-Tabares proudly became United States citizens, and founded their production company, Tabares Entertainment, Inc.  They now proudly present CIRCUS VARGAS, America’s Favorite Big Top Circus!

 

THE CIRCUS VARGAS BIG TOP TENT

For those who fondly recall the rich tradition of going to the circus under a Big Top, and for those who have never experienced the magic, 2009 is the year to enjoy the thrill of a real Big Top circus.
The “Star” of Circus Vargas was hand-made in Milan, Italy, and is the most state-of-the-art Big Top tent in use today. The theater-style tent seats 1,500 people comfortably.. The tent consists of 90,000 square feet of fabric and is supported by 500 individually placed stakes and over four miles of rope and cable weighing over 17 tons. The entire setup represents an outlay of a cool million dollars!
Each set-up day, at the crack of dawn, 30 men start the seven-hour process of raising the Big Top, and each tear-down night, by the light of the moon, the same 30 men roll the tent up and pack it carefully to travel to the next town, where the process begins anew.