Nitro Circus Live Is Coming Back to North American Arenas This Fall
Written by djfrosty on February 28, 2023
Action sports producer Nitro Circus and Round Room Live today announced a multi-year global partnership that will see the Travis Pastrana-led Nitro Circus Live tour return to North American arenas this fall for the first time in five years — just in time for the brand’s 20th anniversary.
Since 2018, Nitro Circus Live has mostly operated as an outdoor event, held at stadiums and festivals like 2019’s Gnarlytown festival in San Pedro, California. Under the partnership with Round Room, the event will return to indoor venues in North America, including arenas like the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The touring show’s main attraction is the Giganta Ramp, a massive 70-foot portable ramp used to launch motocross, BMX bikes and homemade vehicles like an ironing board on wheels.
Launched in 2003 by Pastrana — who raced in the coveted Daytona 500 on Feb. 19 and came in 11th place — as a straight-to-DVD series chronicling Pastrana’s extreme motocross stunts and action sports costars, Nitro Circus would find a television home on Fuel TV in 2006 before landing on MTV in 2009. In 2010, Australian motorsports promoter Michael Porra would launch the Nitro Circus Live tour with partner Andrew Edwards (Porra sold a piece of the company to Raine Group in late 2013). Nitro Circus was eventually rolled up with several other action sports brands and renamed Thrill One in 2020, before being sold off to Fiume Capital and Juggernaut Capital Partners in a $300 million deal last summer.
“Since 2003, Nitro Circus has stunned fans across the globe with a kinetic mix of boundary-breaking world’s firsts alongside outrageous comedic moments,” a press release announcing the agreement reads. “Nitro Circus has showcased a collection of action sports’ best athletes and biggest stars in packed venues worldwide, including dual BMX and scooter threat Ryan “R-Willy” Williams, pioneering WCMX rider Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham and many more. Now these fun-loving daredevils are back with an electrifying new live show celebrating two decades of pushing the limits, featuring huge never-before-done tricks and a host of new crazy contraptions.”
Joe Carr, CEO of Thrill One Sports and Entertainment, said, “This partnership allows us to elevate our production value, increase our show output, and bring Nitro to new markets around the world.”
Pastrana added, “I’m so pumped to see Nitro celebrate by going back under the big top and bringing the party to arenas worldwide. Everyone on the crew is ready to send it bigger than ever before.”
Round Room Live was founded by industry veterans Stephen Shaw and Jonathan Linden and currently produces Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour, Blippi The Musical, Baby Shark Live!, Peppa Pig Live and more. Last year, Round Room completed a management buyout of its lead investor eOne in a deal backed by Manhattan West, a Los Angeles-based strategic investment firm.
“We are very excited to partner with the Nitro Circus team and this incredibly insane group of athletes, to bring Nitro Circus and its high-adrenaline style of entertainment back to arenas in 2023”, said Shaw. “This tour promises to be the most exciting and electric live action sports production in the world – and we can’t wait for our audiences to see what we’ve been building.”