World's Only Circus Parade held every year in Milwaukee, The Genuine American City.

Business & Entertainment Editors

Milwaukee--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 12, 2001

There's only one place in the world where you can see a magnificent Circus Parade and participate in a week long celebration called Circus Week Milwaukee (CWM). This annual festival culminates in the Great Circus Parade held in downtown Milwaukee and attracts over half a million world wide who line the streets to see the priceless collection of antique circus wagons, exotic animals, clowns, performers and more. This year Circus Week will be held from July 10-15. The Parade begins at 2:00 p.m. rain or shine on Sunday, July 15. It starts at Wisconsin Avenue near the War Memorial and heads west three miles through beautiful downtown Milwaukee.

"The Great Circus Parade is a national treasure. It's recognized internationally as an event so unique that the organizers have deemed it Circus Week and built activities around it that draw families from all over the world," said Maricolette Walsh, Executive Director, CWM. "Circus Week parade-goers come all the way from Italy, Switzerland, and Great Britain. Millions more watch its broadcast on 200 public television stations in the U.S. and overseas. The city is remembered most for its stunning Circus Week Milwaukee," she said.

Mary Denis, Vice President Tourism Sales and Marketing, GMCVB, noted, "Milwaukee is known as the Genuine American City, a city on the move with $2 billion dollars invested into new tourism developments since 1998. Milwaukee is evolving into an international world-class destination with unique attractions like the $100 million Santiago Calatrava expansion to the Milwaukee Art Museum and the $400 million Miller Park baseball stadium. With all these new attractions that draw tourists, there is one thing about Milwaukee that has never changed. The Great Circus Parade has always been held here and it's the only one of its kind in the world."

The Circus Parade began in Milwaukee in 1963. It is produced by the Great Circus Parade, Inc. and presented by Circus World Museum of Baraboo, Wisconsin. A study requested by USA Today chose the Great Circus Parade as one of the top 25 parades in the U.S., an honor since there are over 50,000 parades in America alone.

The same study, conducted in 2000 by the International Festival Events Association (IFEA) included the following comments about Milwaukee's Parade by Bruce Skinner, former President of IFEA and President of Bruce Skinner and Associates:

- You have the best costuming of any parade I have ever seen. Only the
Carnevale in Viareggio, Italy, parade even comes close.

- The best equestrian units are found in your parade. The Pasadena Tournament
of Roses Parade, which heretofore had the best that I have seen, would love to
have what you have.

- You have the best animal entries of any parade in the world.

- I also don't know of another parade where so many people camp out/save seats
prior to the event.

- People call the Tournament of Roses the best float parade, the New Orleans
Mardi Gras has the most parades (60), and Macy's is the best inflatable parade.
I think the Great Circus Parade is the caliber of those three.

- The fact that people can go to the parade grounds for several days prior to
the event is fantastic, and is something else that every parade wishes they
could do, as everyone receives a lot more exposure.

- Use of clowns prior to the start of the parade along the street, Ernest
Borgnine was excellent. Most parade audiences have to suffer and don't see any
entertainment prior to the start of the event itself.

The Circus Parade Showgrounds, along Milwaukee's 60 acre lakefront Veterans Park, include Royal Hanneford Circus performances, camel and elephant rides, children's rides, antique band organ concerts, a petting zoo, wagon displays and new this year, Wild West and Clown Shows Tuesday July 10 - Saturday, July 14.

The Great Circus Parade is an international treasure. It's an event with a powerful brand that communicates family, fun, festival, entertainment, summer, and universal appeal. The parade is recognizable at an international level. Sponsorship opportunities are available for this year's parade. To feature a corporate tent at the Circus Parade Showgrounds, or to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Maricolette Walsh, Executive Director, The Great Circus Parade, Inc. at 414-453-0872.

Circus Week Milwaukee is a non-profit organization. Its mission is to produce the Great Circus Parade, unparalleled in its spectacle, pageantry and magnitude, as a celebration of the history and tradition of the circus in Wisconsin and to elevate the City of Milwaukee to its rightful place on the world stage. For general parade information, call 608-356-8341 or visit www.circusparade.com.

The GMCVB is a non-profit organization whose primary focus is promoting and marketing Milwaukee, the Genuine American City, to tourists and convention and meeting planners nationally and internationally. Its main office is at 101 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 425, Milwaukee. For more information call 1-800-231-0903 or visit the bureau's web page at www.officialmilwaukee.com.