Wonderland
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HomeWhere courage meets wonder The ShowThree kinds of unforgettable VisitDirections, parking & arrival The ArtistsMeet this season's company Our StoryA legacy under the big top Past ProductionsA look back Become a PartnerAlign your brand with the extraordinary Group SalesBring your group to Wonderland Rent the Big TopPrivate & group events FAQAnswers before you arriveThe 2026–2027 Company
Discover the extraordinary artists who bring Wonderland to life under the Big Top.
High-Wire
Nik Wallenda · Erendira Wallenda · Paul Lopez · Erick Ashton Lam Meluzzi · Jimmy Luu
High above the ring, five artists step onto a single wire with nothing but trust between them. It’s a family tradition passed from generation to generation, where every step carries a story.
Nik Wallenda is a 7th generation member of the legendary Wallenda family. Known world-wide for his incredible feats upon the high wire and beyond, Nik has set 13 World Records, among these the highest 4-level 8-person pyramid on the wire, the highest and longest bicycle ride on a wire, hanging from a helicopter by his teeth, and the first tightrope crossing of an active volcano. His career began at the age of 2, learning to walk the wire while holding his mother’s hand, and it has continued with record breaking performances across the United States and around the world.
In 2012, he fulfilled his life-long dream to become the only person to walk directly over the precipice of Niagara Falls live on ABC. In 2013, he became the first person to walk a wire across the Grand Canyon, an epic event aired live by Discovery Channel in 178 countries, breaking network ratings and social media records in the process. The following year, Discovery Channel again provided live coverage as Nik broke 2 more world records over the city of Chicago. In 2019, Nik & his sister, Lijana, became the first to walk a tightrope directly over Time Square NY live on ABC; and in 2020, ABC aired yet another special live to the world, as Nik claimed another world record, becoming the first person to walk a tightrope over an active volcano.
Nik is a member of the ownership group of Big Apple Circus and headlined and produced the 2021 & 2022 seasons. In 2023, Nik & his wife Erendira started their own show, “Wonderland”, and have just completed the 3rd successful edition, both producing and headlining in what has become a holiday tradition in his hometown of Sarasota. Nik & Erendira have been married 26 years and have 3 children, and 4 grandchildren. Nik is the author of 2 books, “Balance” and “Facing Fear”, and he carries his motto of “Never Give Up” in every walk with the purpose of inspiring people around the world to follow their dreams.
High-Wire
Nik Wallenda
For generations, the Wallenda family has walked where few would dare to follow. Nik carries that extraordinary legacy into Wonderland, one breathtaking step at a time.
Erendira Vazquez Wallenda’s performing heritage is circus royalty. An 8th generation performer, her roots can be traced to one of the oldest circuses in all of Australia, the Ashton Family Circus. On her father’s side, the Vazquez Family is world renowned as the first family to complete the quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze. Performing since the age of 5 years old, Erendira has charmed audiences with her beauty and grace as a performer. Her unmatched aerial artistry allowed her to become the featured female performer on the 137th edition of Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth.
In addition to her aerial cloud swing, lyra, and chiffon routines, she has thrilled audiences on the soaring 70’ high sway pole and the high wire, performing alongside her husband Nik Wallenda. In 2017, she set a new world record performing an aerial lyra routine from beneath a helicopter over the raging waters of Niagara Falls, finishing by hanging by her toes and finally, her teeth, nearly 300’ above the waters below. In 2020, she broke her own world record, again hanging by her teeth 1800’ above the active Masaya Volcano. In addition to her performance portfolio, Erendira is also a talented designer and choreographer, selecting the music and routines for the Wallenda acts, and developing new aerial acts, costumes, and co-producing entire theatrical shows.
High-Wire
Erendira Vazquez Wallenda
Born beneath the big top and into generations of circus tradition, Erendira has spent a lifetime somewhere between the earth and the sky. In Wonderland, she returns to the place that has always felt like home.
No stranger to the big top, Ty McFarlan served as ringmaster with Ringling Brothers for four years. He credits his thirteen-year tenure as an officer in the Army National Guard and a strict “military brat” upbringing with preparing him for the job of the evanescent emcee of the big top.
After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a degree in criminal justice, McFarlan followed his heart into a theatrical career that included theatre, TV, films, and eventually a stint with a national theater group that lead him to where he truly belongs – the circus. “There’s nothing quite like the rich history and family atmosphere that comes with a circus,” says McFarlan. “When you think about it, few things in America have more tradition than the circus, which predates baseball, apple pie and Coca Cola!”
Host
Ty McFarlan
With a warm welcome and a touch of Christmas cheer, Ty opens the doors to Wonderland. Consider him your guide to an evening where almost anything can happen.
Johnny Rockett has been crowned the clown prince of comedy and one of the top physical comics in the circus world today. As a comedic daredevil, he describes himself as Charlie Chaplin and Evel Knievel put together! Johnny Rockett will have you laughing tears of joy and then put you on the edge of your seat in disbelief. You won’t want to miss him under the Big Top!
Comic
Johnny Rockett
Every magical story needs a little mischief. Johnny Rocket brings plenty of it, turning Wonderland upside down and keeping everyone guessing what he’ll do next.
Foot Juggler
Helen Wonjila
From a land far away comes an artist with an extraordinary gift. With remarkable grace, Helen sends the most unexpected things dancing through the air, all from the tips of her toes.
Bubble Act
Denis Lock
With a little soap, a little air, and a touch of magic, Denis creates a world where bubbles dance and dreams seem to float. For a moment, Wonderland feels exactly like childhood again.
Dog Act
Veranica Tchalabaeva
With wagging tails and a little Wonderland magic, Veranica and her four-legged stars dance, tumble, and play their way into your heart. Sometimes the smallest performers steal the biggest part of the show.
Freestyle Motocross
Austin Drummond · Dereck Beckering · James Arthur May · Rob Routley
With a roar of engines, Wonderland’s daredevils take flight. For a few breathtaking moments, motorcycles soar where only Santa’s reindeer dare to fly.
[ act name to be confirmed ]
Hand Balancing Trapeze
Zoe Rihanna Gimenez Miranda · Alondra Brihanna Medel Gimenez
Two sisters rise high above the ring, where strength becomes grace and the impossible seems almost effortless. Together, they turn the sky above Wonderland into their stage.
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