He holds 11 Guinness World Records for various acrobatic feats, and is best known as the first person to walk a tightrope stretched directly over Niagara Falls.

In 2008, while performing with Ringling Bros., Wallenda set Guinness World Records for longest and highest bicycle ride on a high-wire 250-foot-long (76 m) at 135 feet (41 m) above the ground in New Jersey.

Wallenda crossed Niagara Falls on June 15, 2012 on a live ABC special, following a two-year legal battle involving both sides of the Canada–United States border to gain approval.

His ancestors were primarily of German descent and have been circus performers since the 1700s; they have been doing balancing acts without nets since Karl Wallenda made the family famous for the feat in the 1920s.

[4][14] However, his plans changed in 1998 when he participated in a re-creation of Karl Wallenda's seven-person pyramid on the high-wire in Detroit, alongside his father, mother, and other family members.

"[14] Wallenda says that the high-wire performance is not a daredevil act or a mere stunt, but rather an athletic feat requiring great physical training.

[4] From 2002 to 2005, Wallenda performed alongside his wife, children, and other family members at Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro, North Carolina.

[27] In 2005 Wallenda and his wife, Erendira, took their act to Raging Waters in San Dimas, California, while his mother and sister stayed at Wet 'n Wild.

Wallenda's uncle, Timothy Stephenson, who is an engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), suggested that an axle be built of custom-blended, hardened steel alloy to keep it from breaking.

The plan was to walk and then bicycle off the roof of the Prudential Center in Downtown Newark, New Jersey, across a suspended high-wire 13 and 1/2 stories (135 feet) above the ground.

[35] Following the bike ride, Wallenda tightrope walked 2,000 feet (610 m) over the resort's marine habitat filled with barracuda, piranha, and sharks.

[35] Between the morning bike ride and the late afternoon tightrope walk, Wallenda's father and safety coordinator Terry passed out from a combination of heat and stress and was rushed to the hospital.

[38] On June 4, 2011, Wallenda completed a 100-foot-long (30 m) high-wire crossing between the two towers of the ten-story Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In October 2010, Wallenda was approached by Roger Trevino, the executive vice president of Niagara Falls Redevelopment, at an amusement trade show.

[44] NPC officials, led by chair Janice Thomson, feared Wallenda's plan could bring back the days when amateur daredevils routinely got themselves injured or killed at the Falls, and also believed it would cheapen the area's natural beauty.

[67] Niagara Falls, Ontario, mayor Jim Diodati declared that "the stars aligned perfectly" allowing the event hit its "full potential".

[67] Media representatives from Australia, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Korea, and the Middle East were on hand to cover the event.

[70] In Buffalo, New York the show peaked at a 48.5 rating/67 share for the last half-hour, meaning two out of every three TV viewers at the time in that area were watching the event.

[68] On the Canadian side, Diodati said he would like to erect a statue of Wallenda at Table Rock with a green screen photo booth to allow visitors to "participate" in the historic walk.

[75] Wallenda called the request "disgusting and sad", saying "This was a great thing for the area ... [They] gave me a key to the city, and now they want to ask for more money?

"[83] On August 9 Wallenda conducted a 1,300-foot (400 m) tightrope walk across the Atlantic City beach from Sovereign Avenue to the Tropicana Resort, roughly 100 feet (30 m) in the air.

The show featured Nik, wife Erendira, mother Delilah, cousin Blake, and about a dozen other performers in a variety of circus acts including contortion, quick-change artistry, and juggling.

[90] Balance weaves in themes of faith throughout, as it chronicles Wallenda's childhood, adolescence, and adult career, with particular emphasis on the ups and down of his marriage and personal life.

"[90] Reviewer John Law remarked, "Wallenda is really juggling two books with Balance – one about his tireless belief in God's plan, and the stuff readers actually want to know: The hardships, the drama, the thrill of life on a wire.

[89] On June 23, 2013, Wallenda highwire walked across the Little Colorado River Gorge in Navajo territory outside Grand Canyon National Park's borders about 40 miles east of the main tourist facilities.

[citation needed] To prepare for the winds, Wallenda walked a 1,000-foot (300 m) wire twice daily along the banks of a Sarasota river with fans watching.

[2] On November 2, 2014, Discovery aired the special, entitled Skyscraper Live, and an official mobile game, SkyBalance by Nik Wallenda, was developed by Tapinator, Inc. to coincide with the event.

[citation needed] On June 17, 2021, Wallenda highwire walked at D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York for a grand opening ceremony of the Health Professions Hub.

'"[17] Wallenda, who spent the summer of 2014 in Western New York with shows at Darien Lake and the Erie County Fair, hopes to develop a longer-term tourist attraction near Niagara Falls honoring stuntmen such as his family.

[106] In 1999, Wallenda proposed to his future wife Erendira (née Vasquez, from a famous Mexican circus family), while on a wire 30 feet (9.1 m) high during a performance in Montreal, Quebec.