About CirkusMania

From shattered glass bottles and afrofuturistic spaceships to pulsating soundscapes and the circus hearts of tomorrow. The 6th edition of CirkusMania presents a cross-section of contemporary circus expressions.

CirkusMania is a festival dedicated to circus as a contemporary performing arts form. In genre-crossing performances with elements of performance-art, installation, or audience interaction, we encounter both internationally renowned companies and the next generation of circus artists.

This year’s program features works that premiered over the past year, some just recently, and some that haven’t even opened yet. A recurring theme is shifting perspectives.

Today, circus encompasses both traditional and contemporary expressions. Traditional circus disciplines are intertwined with other art forms into artistic, existential or culture-critical explorations. It is a multifaceted art form that continues to evolve and push boundaries. Perhaps you will be both surprised and challenged in your ideas of what a circus performance can be.

The festival is presented in collaboration with 13 venues across the Stockholm region. Together, we aim to generate interest in and dialogue around the art form. The festival also serves as a platform for both Swedish and international artists.

How CirkusMania was created
The festival was initiated in 2019. Subtopia is a production cluster for arts in Botkyrka, a municipality whose investments in the art form had made the Stockholm region internationally renowned as one of the world´s most dynamic circus hubs. Stockholm University of the Arts had since many years offered prestigious professional education. There was a large community of circus artists, ready to engage with the audience. However, the main scene was abroad. Locally, few were familiar with the artists and current expressions of the art form. It was high time to create a context where the Stockholm audience could discover contemporary forms of circus and the artists who live and train here, with the entire world as their workplace.

Inspired by the proactivity of the artist community, we at Subtopia decided to create a festival. To succeed, a collective effort was needed, and we approached theaters around the region with the idea. The response was exceptional. Today, CirkusMania is a geographically spread event. Through hard work, a passion for circus, and by being close to the performers, CirkusMania has become an important platform that contributes to the visibility and accessability to the art form, regionally and nationally.

CirkusMania is coordinated by

with the support of

in cooperation with