Circostrada's FRESH Circus conference comes to Stockholm and Botkyrka on 17 to 20 February 2027

If you make circus, programme it or work on circus policy, mark 17 to 20 February 2027. FRESH Circus, the international conference run by Circostrada, holds its sixth edition in Stockholm and Botkyrka. The full programme and pre-registration open on 25 November, and we'll come back to it then.

Circostrada is a European network for circus and outdoor arts, with more than 180 member organisations in 45 countries. Its conference usually brings together around 400 people: programmers, artists, researchers, policymakers and EU representatives. Riksteatern, one of the Swedish co-hosts, says it's the first time FRESH Circus comes to a Nordic country.

The theme is "Circus as a force for collective futures". The conference itself runs over three mornings, each in a different venue.

The first, at Subtopia in Botkyrka, asks: "Can we create a future together without knowing where we are going?" The second, at Riksteatern, asks what the sector needs to build to get there. The third, at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern, imagines society in 2077, with circus as the lens.

So what happens in the afternoons, and on Saturday 20 February? The Swedish and Nordic scene. That includes CirkusExpo, the Nordic platform for circus professionals, with pitches and previews.

We covered CirkusExpo's application call in August. There are also talks on circus education, youth-led projects and circus in rural and urban places, and you pick your own path through them.

It all sits inside CirkusMania, the festival Subtopia runs from 13 to 21 February. Shows announced so far include premieres by Wes Peden and by Camille Boitel with Sève Bernard, and an early version of Cirkus Cirkör's Hope in Motion made for Botkyrka.

Concretely, the organisers suggest staying in Stockholm from 16 to 21 February and booking accommodation as soon as possible. They say all venues are wheelchair accessible.

Pre-registration runs from 25 November to 13 January. It then gives you a link to book shows, lunches and shuttles, paid by card only along with the service fee. That fee hasn't been announced yet.