On April 30, 1983, Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) organized the first major AIDS fundraiser in the United States—a sold-out benefit performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden, attended by nearly 18,000 people. The event raised approximately $300,000 (around $968,000 today), far surpassing expectations, and was used to fund GMHC’s hotline, safer-sex education programs, and volunteer-based support services for people with AIDS. This poster, designed by Enno Poersch, mimics vintage circus advertisements to draw attention to and destigmatize AIDS fundraising. Below the word “AIDS” is the term “Kaposi’s Sarcoma,” linking the crisis directly to its visible symptoms. The event featured Broadway star Patti LuPone, composer Leonard Bernstein, opera singer Shirley Verrett, and New York City’s closeted mayor Ed Koch. It marked a key moment in AIDS activism. GMHC’s partnership with the corporate owners of Ringling Bros. was one of the earliest collaborations between an AIDS organization and a mainstream entertainment brand. Media coverage was broadly supportive, and activists later described the event as a political landmark that challenged stigma by aligning gay-led AIDS fundraising with a major public institution.