Cirkus, located in the Royal Djurgården district of Stockholm, was inaugurated on May 25, 1892 to house the many prominent circus companies of the times. Over the years, Cirkus became an arena for all types of activities, including concerts, congresses, TV productions, and above all for theatre, musicals and shows.
Cirkus has been expanded several times, with the latest major addition being a new stage and artist loges in 1997/1998 to accommodate the musical Kristina from Duvemåla. During the 1999 autumn season, the parterre section was adapted and furnished with tables, building Sweden’s largest dinner show arena, which was inaugurated with the Joe Labero Show. Since then, Cirkus has hosted several bestselling dinner shows, most recently Peter Jöback’s From the heart that ran in the autumn 2018 season.
In many ways, Cirkus is known as the arena for major musicals. Several of Benny Andersson’s and Björn Ulvaeus’s Swedish musicals have been performed here. Kristina from Duvemåla, seen by over a million people in Sweden, ran here for the duration of its Stockholm performances. Chess was seen by over 500 000 people at Cirkus in 2002/2003 and the box-office success MAMMA MIA! premiered at Cirkus and was seen by 800 000 people from February 2005 to January 2007.
On October 15, 2015, a new stage on two floors built adjacent to Cirkus, was inaugurated. In conjunction with this, an entrance hall built in 1997 was replaced by a new shared entrance foyer in glass and metal. Designed by White Architects, the New Cirkus stage houses a combined theatre and concert arena with 800 seats. The new stage opened with the comedy programme Partaj!, broadcast on TV in autumn 2015.
The building was nominated for Stockholm’s Building of the Year in 2016. According to the Jury, it “adds something new to a place of great value. The addition works well as a stand-alone space, while fitting well into the existing environment and creating new functions in a fine-tuned and respectful way, without being ingratiating.”
Cirkus Venues contribute to developing Djurgården as one of the world’s most important and sustainable tourist destinations.
With a handful of Stockholm’s most well-known spots combined with new contemporary brands, we are building a one-stop-shop for urban travellers as well as picky Stockholmers.
By curating food, art, design, accommodation, recreation and pleasure we create extraordinary moments and an addictive vibe.
Cirkus Venues consists of Hotel Hasselbacken, Cirkus Arena och Restaurang, Backstage Hotel, Konsthallen, Pop Story and Gasklockan.
