There isn’t much information available for the annual Swedish festivals and venues that present the circus and street performances in Sweden. It is extremely rare to find a venue or festival that exclusively offers its circus and street performances. However, several performing arts and music festivals or circus shows represent Swedish or other international companies.

In the autumn of 2015, a network of venues was created, such as the CircusNet Sweden. Riksteatern, the Swedish national touring theatre, has also made an effort to show off more circus in the venues of Sweden’s touring circuits. Below are some of the most well-known festivals and venues in Sweden that offer various entertaining street performances.

Stockholm Street Festival

This festival has taken place every July since 2010 and is produced by Funnybones Production. The festival fills in the area Kungsträdgården in the Stockholm city center with performances from Swedish and international street artists.

Before this event, another famous music festival in Sweden takes place annually every June. Some professional music artists, mainly from Scandinavia and street musicians from around the globe, participate in this event together and show off their talents. Their performances are usually based on the medieval, renaissance, and baroque periods. The event feels classy and decorated elegantly with a lot of stalls that offer Sweden’s best dishes.

Midsummer festival

This is an important festival for the Swedish people, as almost every family celebrates the Midsummer festival. This festival is similar to a lunch party which goes through until the night. This festival brings many different communities together and dresses up with flowers in their hair and dances under the summer sun while raising maypoles. It’s a national event hosted in Sweden’s every park and garden where many people come together to eat the herring pickles and sing songs.

Stockholm cultural and folk festival

The cultural festival is a six-day cultural city fest that was first celebrated in 2006. The artistic leader and pioneer Claes Karlsson brought international circus shows to Sweden since the early 90s and partly dedicates this festival to the circus and street shows.

The Stockholm folk festival is a four-day event celebrated in August. It’s a festival celebrated in a classy and vibrant way. It’s a music festival with picture-perfect surroundings, bringing all the international budding and professional musicians together to show their unique tunes in folk and world music. It’s a must-see festival for folk music lovers!

Umeå Teaterförening and Umeå Kulturnatta

The Umeå Teaterförening is a festival for performing arts and is part of Riksteatern’s touring circuit which presents dance, theatre, circus and other performances. They have increasingly booked international and Swedish street shows and circuses throughout the years. In 2014, during Cultural Capital Umeå, the festival was dedicated to contemporary circuses alone.

The Umeå Kulturnatta event is another cultural and art festival held at Umea. It’s a 24-hour long event and is full of activities to ensure visitors will have something to do during the festival. Visitors can choose to experience the cultural, art, music, theatre, or dramatic performances at the venue. You’ll find all these performances held at various locations throughout the city during this event.

Gothenburg Culture Festival

Taking place annually during August in the streets of Gothenburg, this cultural festival displays the Swedish tradition through the different pieces of art and cultural performances. The festival feels like a giant street party with live music, dance and drama performances such as Street theatre, ballet, hip-hop music, jazz music and symphonic music. The art exhibitions are also a highlight here which showcase a wide range of creative traditional-styled artifacts. Visitors also thoroughly enjoy the many poetry reading sessions during the festival. Don’t miss out on the Gothenburg Cultural Festival if you’re heading to Sweden in August.

Summerburst festival

One of the most highly anticipated festivals in Sweden, Summerburst is held during the start of the summer season. It’s a music festival that displays local talented street dancers as well as some of the best dance performers in the world. This annual event lasts for two days in the Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg. Featuring pumped-up electronic music and many other performances hosted by international stars such as Tiesto and David Guetta. The festival also features performances from popular local bands. The Summerburst festival gets bigger every year and is known throughout Europe.

ReOrient festival

This festival presents the best music, dance and cultural performances, combining a perfect blend of eastern and western culture. The ReOrient festival is a grand event that acts to make the younger generations aware of their ancestors and current issues. The festival also consists of many educational seminars and talks focusing on the current affairs revolving around the country. Visitors can check out the best of Arab club culture, along with spectacular street dance performances. The festival emphasizes the blend of traditional and modern cultures in the various events, creating a truly unique festival that must be visited.

These are some of the must-visit festivals if you are in Sweden! Of course, many more events are held annually or even monthly that we have not mentioned in the list. If you are an organizer planning to hold a big event in your country and looking for talented street performers, then visit BuskinCity for a community of experienced and verified street performers and buskers. Visit us and put on a great show in your city!