European Circus History Conference 2027

Second European Circus History Conference, Copenhagen, 15 – 17 April 2027

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The second European Circus History Conference will take place in Denmark at the Copenhagen Circus Museum from Thursday 15th to Saturday 17th April 2027, coinciding with World Circus Day. The Conference follows the success of the 1st European Circus History Conference in London in 2025.

The conference opens on Thursday with a guided tour of significant circus-related locations in Copenhagen. This will include an opportunity to visit the world-famous Tivoli Gardens, followed by a social evening.

On Friday and Saturday, the conference will be held at the Circus Museum in Hvidovre, a suburb of Copenhagen. The museum site includes a 120 seat conference auditorium and the historic Fægtesalen (fencing hall) where we shall dine on Friday evening and where selected performances may take place.

The conference auditorium, circus museum and the Fægtesalen are wheelchair accessible and equipped with accessible toilets. Please note that not all parts of the Thursday tour will be accessible due to stairs; the organisers will liaise with participants to determine the best available options.

Tickets are on sale now! Here you can purchase tickets and see suggested hotels.

How has Circus related to Change?

The focus is on change relating to Europe from the 18th to the 21st century, though the change(s) can also be inwards or outwards of the continent.

We are interested in any aspect of change, including but not limited to political, cultural, social, geographic, technological, legislative, aesthetic and familial transformations.

Acknowledgements

The European Circus History Conference is deeply grateful to Mikkel Knudsen, Museum Director, and his team for generously hosting the Second European Circus History Conference at the Copenhagen Circus Museum.

European Circus History Conference 2027 Committee Members

Kornélia Deres (Hungary), an associate professor at ELTE Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest, has published widely on theatre, performance, and cultural practices. Her current research focuses on nineteenth-century popular performance culture and scientific spectacles in Central and Eastern Europe. She has authored two monographs and co-edited six volumes. She is also a poet and writer, having published four books.

Lina B. Frank (Sweden), a producer, programmer/curator and arts consultant based in Europe with offices in Lund/Malmö, SE and Bristol, UK.

Charlie Holland (UK), Initiator of the European Circus History Conference. A former professional juggler who was instrumental in the development of The Circus Space, latterly National Centre for Circus Arts, as its Programme Director and Deputy Chief Executive. His books include ‘Strange Feats and Clever Turns’ on speciality acts in the 19th century. He is the Secretary of the British Music Hall Society and initiated and co-organised their first conference in 2023 and subsequent ones. His latest project is Thrown Together, London’s Juggling and Flow Arts Festival, first held in October 2026, then from 21-24 October 2027.

Mikkel Knudsen (Denmark), Director of The Circus Museum in Hvidovre (a suburb of Copenhagen). Mikkel has a History MA and has worked at the museum since 2004. He has produced several exhibitions with topics including Circus Culture, the World of Magic, and Animals in the Circus. He has written many articles about circus and is often used as an expert by the media.

Harm van der Laan (The Netherlands), an artist and co-artistic director of both Tall Tales Company and the Tall Tales Studio, which has grown to become the main space for training and ongoing education of the professional circus community in The Netherlands. Harm has BA and BSc degrees, teaches circus history at Codarts Rotterdam, and  is co-author of the book ‘Turning the cube: Perspectives on codes through juggling and visual arts’.

Pauliina Räsänen (Finland), a circus and magic artist and cultural historian (MA) from Finland is a graduate of the renowned National Circus School of Montreal. Her performance background includes touring with Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria as a solo trapeze artist for six years. She is currently pursuing her PhD  in Cultural History at the University of Turku, researching the forgotten history of women in circus and magic, and is CEO of ArtTeatro Ltd, a Finland based circus and magic arts production company.

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Read more about ECHC on https://circusconference.org/

Illustration from the cover of the memoirs of Jules Léotard (1860).