NEW YORK: The usual groups of sightseers and revellers in this city that never sleeps rubbed its eyes at midnight when a stately line of Indian elephants came lumbering.

The north tube of the Midtown Tunnel and a section of the 34th street were closed to traffic for the march of the pachyderms in the wee hours of Wednesday.

It was the annual elephant walk of "The Greatest Show on Earth" brought to New York City by Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, heralding three weeks of colourful spectacle and joyous excitement.

The well-drilled elephants took just one hour to pass under East River and make their way to Madison Square Garden for the 134th edition of the Circus, founded in New York City in 1870 by P.T. Barnum.

Commonly known in the US as Asian elephants, this branch of the elephant family exists in the wild only in India, other South Asian countries and some pockets of Southeast Asia.

Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey have only Asian elephants in their show. The symbol of the company too is a caparisoned elephant.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed ringmaster Kevin Venardos and other stars of the Circus to New York City.

Honouring the 134th annual performance of the Circus, the mayor kicked off the company's return by hosting a performance at City Hall Plaza attended by city dignitaries and 165 children.

The Circus begins performing at Madison Square Garden Thursday.

"There's nothing like the excitement of the circus," said Mayor Bloomberg. "And nobody does it better than Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus. It's their 134th edition, and it promises to be more exciting than ever.

"Let me thank Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus for bringing their act to City Hall and for donating 1,000 tickets, so even more children will be able to experience this special magic at Madison Square Garden."

Ringmaster Venardos presented the mayor with a giant ticket to the circus.

"There is no greater stage in New York than City Hall, and 'The Greatest Show on Earth' is honoured to perform for Mayor Bloomberg," said Venardos.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be in New York City through April 11.