Zoppé Circus Redwood City 2026: Show Dates and the Lot B Survey

Giovanni Zoppé runs the family circus and plays Nino the Clown. Giovanni once explained in a few words what the downtown library parking lot means to his family. "It was the last lot my father was ever on," he told Redwood City Pulse in 2021. "When we get here, I breathe easier."

The tent comes back on Nov. 6 for a 19th year. Four weeks before that, the City is asking the public what one of the library lots should become. Its survey doesn't ask about the circus.

Nineteen Novembers on Asphalt

The City called the 2018 season the circus's 11th in Redwood City and calls 2026 its 19th. Counting back from either number puts the first Redwood City season around 2008. The circus's own tour archive lists a Redwood City run from Oct. 16 to 25, 2009. The run has gotten longer since then. In 2021 the tent stood from Oct. 8 to Nov. 21.

The partnership started with an introduction. A friend connected Giovanni with Lucas Wilder, who was then assistant director of the City's Parks, Recreation & Community Services department and became a longtime champion of the circus. By 2018 the City described that department as the circus's sponsor. That makes this a City-sponsored tradition on City-owned land, and it explains why a decision about the land touches the tradition.

The circus itself is older than its Redwood City run. It goes back to Napoleone Zoppè, who met a ballerina named Ermenglida in Budapest and founded a circus with her in Venice. The family has kept it going for six generations. Alberto Zoppè, Napoleone's great-grandson, brought it to America. He was an equestrian performer who appeared in Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth. In 2004, at age 32, his son Giovanni became the youngest person inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame up to that point. The tent is deliberately small. Every seat sits within 20 feet of the ring.

The Lot the City Is Now Studying

On Sept. 22, the City announced that it wants public input on Downtown Library Parking Lot B. The site is at 1016 Middlefield Road and covers 0.7 acres with 98 public parking spaces. It runs between the Downtown Library and Jefferson Avenue, from Middlefield Road to Pennsylvania Avenue. The City is weighing whether to redevelop it as a 100% affordable housing project that keeps public parking and possibly adds other uses. An earlier feasibility study estimated the site could hold about 70 to 104 affordable homes, along with public parking and limited City office space.

That estimate is easier to judge against the City's state housing target. Redwood City has to plan for 4,588 homes in the 2023–31 housing cycle. It says 3,267 market-rate and affordable units still need to be accommodated by January 2031. At the high end, Lot B would cover roughly 3% of that remaining number. The site matters because the City already owns it and it sits steps from downtown, not because of its size.

The 2026 sources don't agree on exactly where the circus stands. Redwood City Pulse reported that Lot B has hosted the Zoppé circus. The City's circus pages give the venue as the Main Library Parking Lot at 1044 Middlefield Road. The City's downtown parking page lists that address as Library Lot A, next door to Lot B. The City's housing page uses the circus's venue name for the site under study. It calls Lot B, at 1016 Middlefield, the "Main Library parking lot." The circus FAQ only says this year's tent is "in the parking lot adjacent to the Downtown Redwood City Library." What is clear is that the circus uses the library lots and Lot B is one of them. The Pulse also reported that City materials don't say whether redevelopment could affect future performances.

Here is where the process stands:

Nothing has been approved yet. The Council hasn't approved a development or chosen a developer. Any project would still need more approvals and financing. The May 11 minutes record the Council's direction to do community engagement before the Surplus Land Act process and a request for proposals.

What the Survey Asks About

The City's online survey has questions on these topics:

• how Lot B is used today
• other places to park
• support for housing on the site
• how important public parking is
• what should go on the ground floor

None of the questions mentions the circus. The City's announcement lists public parking as a feedback topic. Its housing page says many public lots downtown will stay available and links to the downtown parking map. Neither page names a different venue for the tent. No City official, Council member or member of the Zoppé family has said anything on the record about where the circus would go if Lot B changes. The public input window is the only part of the process so far where the circus can be raised. The survey closes on Oct. 20, 17 days before the opening show.

The City is holding the open house in the same building the tent stands beside. Orientations start at 5 and 6 p.m. Spanish interpreters and light refreshments will be there.

This November's Run, Show by Show

The 2026 run starts on a Friday and ends on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. There is no show on Thanksgiving Day.

Prices rise as the run gets closer to the holiday. The City's FAQ gives these ranges: $12 to $25 for youth ages 2 to 11, $17 to $30 for ages 12 and up, and $24 to $37 for front-row seats at any age. The detailed table on the tickets page puts the cheapest seats at the weekday shows in Weeks 1 through 3: $17 adult and $12 youth, with front row listed at $22, which is below the FAQ's front-row minimum. Thanksgiving weekend is the top end. Week 4 weekend seats run up to $37 front row, $30 adult and $25 youth. A family of four that picks Wednesday, Nov. 18, over Saturday, Nov. 28, can save about $50 on standard seats. If a time slot doesn't show up online, the City says it has sold out. Zoppé's own website lists Redwood City as Nov. 1 to 29, but the City's ticketed schedule starts on Nov. 6.

The tent takes up its lot for the whole run, so the City asks ticket holders to use the longer-meter spaces at the Box, the Jefferson Garage or the Marshall Garage. The City's downtown parking page lists these rates, which it says vary by day and time:

• Marshall Garage, 750 Marshall: $1 to $2.50 per hour
• Jefferson Garage, 850 Jefferson: $1 to $2.50 per hour
• Crossing 900, 900 Middlefield: $3 per hour
• Hamilton Garage, 815 Hamilton: $2.50 per hour

The Jefferson Garage is a short walk from the library. The Caltrain station is downtown too, according to the City's directions page.

The Lot After the Tent Comes Down

The circus closes on Sunday, Nov. 29. The City expects to bring the survey results to the Council in the same few weeks and to request development proposals early next year. The Council's next steps will depend on what goes into the survey by Oct. 20. That includes the circus only if someone writes it in.

At Wendy Kandasamy, we follow decisions like the one on Lot B because downtown Redwood City's public land shapes how the neighborhood lives day to day, and we're glad to talk through what the process could mean for nearby blocks. Schedule a complimentary market consultation and home valuation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.