The Orchid Show 2021: Aerialists from the Tree Top to the Big Top!

Selby Gardens’ annual Orchid Show brings together two of Sarasota, Florida’s most renowned legacies —orchids and the circus. Presented in collaboration with the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (The Ringling), The Orchid Show 2021: Aerialists from the Tree Top to the Big Top!, is presented by Better-Gro®, celebrates the breathtaking beauty of orchids in tree-top canopies high above the forest floor with the artistry and spectacle of the circus, particularly the aerialists who perform extraordinary feats of human ability high above captivated crowds. Pairing astonishing air plants with amazing aerial acts enables a fascinating exploration of the intersection of nature and entertainment.

The show is deeply rooted in Selby Gardens’ status as possessing the world’s best scientifically documented collection of orchids. As always, the Orchid Show highlights the diversity and richness of the Orchidaceae family, one of the largest families of flowering plants on earth.

The synergy with Sarasota’s extensive circus history fortifies the theme of this year’s show. Once the winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the city remains the home of many circus performers and their families.  In addition to The Ringling, housing the finest circus collections in existence, Sarasota is home to the Circus Arts Conservatory and associated Sailor Circus Academy, the oldest youth circus in America.