After 177 years of performing, the Zoppé Family Circus knows it will take more than a pandemic to keep them out of the spotlight. The Italian circus annually performs in Tucson at the Mercado District, and will continue that tradition this month, albeit with new precautions. Their new “drive-in” circus, in town from Friday, Jan. 15, through the end of the month, includes a variety of acts that can be enjoyed from your car. 

According to Giovanni Zoppé, the frontman for the circus, the idea of their drive-in show has existed for roughly five years. However, it took COVID for those plans to come to fruition. “I’m always trying to find different ways to create art, to reach an audience,” Giovanni said. “But I couldn’t make it work, and I was concerned about reaching the audience and touching their emotions—happiness, sadness, joy—like a circus should.”