Yuri Nikulin was a Soviet and Russian circus performer, circus director, film actor, TV presenter, director and artistic director of the circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard from 1982 to 1997. Representatives of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Cinema have included Nikulin's name in the list of "Great comedians of the world".
On September 29, 1989, the premiere of the new program "Hello, old Circus!" opened a new circus building on Tsvetnoy Boulevard.
At the opening ceremony, the director of the circus, Yuri Nikulin, told:"I still can't believe that such a wonderful building could have been built in such a short time. My dream came true - a new Old circus was born.
On the opening days, I'm going to greet our guests myself. And for this occasion I wrote a song, which I will sing to you now:
My old circus is with me again,
My Old Circus, Tsvetnoy Boulevard,
My Old circus of childhood dreams,
My destiny, my love."
A thorough restructuring was carried out by a Finnish construction company in just two years. The new circus building was equipped with modern technical equipment and designed for 2,000 seats.