Windy City Circus cancels Navy Pier performances

This morning, the announced it has canceled its ten-day run at Navy Pier. This is the second large-scale production to pull out of a Navy Pier engagement in the last four weeks. The announcement also comes on the heels of Navy Pier Inc.'s unveiling of five proposed redesigns, all of which took an unorthodox look at the entertainment hub's future.

The circus—which would have made its world premiere this Friday—claimed to be a "circus with a purpose," turning over 80 percent of its net ticket sales to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana and Special Olympics Chicago.

Founder David Maas gave the following statement in a press release: "We are incredibly saddened to report that in this economy as a new non-profit organization, we have fallen short of our projected sponsorship and funding goals. We want to ensure that Chicago receives a high-quality production that befits our incredible hometown and will be a successful fundraiser for our charitable partners. We are looking forward to mounting Windy City Circus at a future date, and will continue to strive toward that goal."

The press release noted that tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.