Call for Papers for the 2nd European Circus History Conference

How has circus related to change?

The second edition of the biennial conference takes place in Denmark at the wonderful Copenhagen Circus Museum from Thursday 15th to Saturday 17th April 2027 (World Circus Day), following the success of the 1st European Circus History Conference in London in 2025.

The first day allows participants to get to know one another on a tour of important circus locations in the city, including the opportunity to visit the world-famous Tivoli Gardens, followed by a social evening.

On Friday and Saturday, the conference takes place at the Circus Museum (photos below) in Hvidovre, a suburb of Copenhagen, which has a 120 seat conference theatre on site and a former Fægtesalen (fencing hall) where we shall dine on Friday evening.

The conference auditorium, circus museum and Fægtesalen (The fencing hall, for the formal dinner and performances) are all wheelchair accessible with accessible toilets. Not all parts of the tour on Thursday will be accessible due to stairs but we will liaise with you to determine the best options.

CALL FOR PAPERS

We invite proposals, by 30th September 2026, exploring ‘How has circus related to change?’. This can encompass ways in which the circus has initiated change, reacted to it, or ignored it. 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. Since Copenhagen is the location, we particularly welcome those with a Nordic focus.  

We are interested in any aspect of change e.g. political, cultural, social, geographic, technological, legislative, aesthetic and familial.

We welcome proposals of:

• Twenty or six minute talks. Shorter talks (optionally in PechaKucha style) might introduce one performer or a particular innovation, while longer talks will tend to take a broader view.
• Panel sessions of about 40 minutes with three or four panel members. If you have a topic and a panel to suggest please let us know.
• Performance presentations as we may be able to show these in the Fægtesalen (fencing hall) if the technical requirements are within scope. Ask for details.

An abstract of the papers will be put online with the intention that a peer-reviewed journal shall follow featuring edited versions of several of the papers presented at the conference. More details will follow.

Speakers will be offered free admission. Travel bursaries may be available but this is funding dependent. Talks are expected to be given in person.

Submissions should be up to 300 words accompanied by a short biography, up to 200 words. There will be equipment for PowerPoint presentations (which we will require at the latest a week prior to the conference). Please state any other technical requirements you have.

The talks are unlikely to be streamed, though recordings for archive use will be made.

Please send proposals to info@circusconference.org by 30th September 2026 and we will respond within a month.