Cirkus, Entertainment venue in Djurgården, Sweden

Cirkus is a multipurpose venue on Djurgården that hosts theatre productions, concerts, conferences, and exhibitions in various-sized halls. The building includes modern meeting spaces with technical facilities and dining options throughout its rooms.

The French circus performer Didier Gautier became a Swedish citizen in 1830 and was granted permission to build a permanent circus on Djurgården. His menagerie was sold to Adèle Houcke in 1869 and later burned; the present building, designed by Ernst Haegglund, opened on 25 May 1892. It was rebuilt as a theatre in 1931-32 by Torsten Stubelius, remodelled in 1997 for the musical Kristina från Duvemåla, and became a listed building in 1983.

The name Cirkus recalls the building's origin as Djurgårdscirkus, a permanent circus. From autumn 1956 to the late 1980s Sveriges Radio-TV rented it as studio C for entertainment shows such as Stora famnen, Kvitt eller dubbelt and Melodifestivalen. Since 1999 the hall has also been adapted for krogshows with food served during the performance.

Cirkus sits on Djurgården, reachable by tram and bus, with the entrance now shared with the 2015 glass-and-metal extension. The main hall holds 1,650 seated guests, while the adjoining Lilla Cirkus has just over 750 seats, so check which stage your event uses. The building was closed for a major renovation in summer 2019.

The 1890-91 building by Ernst Haegglund reused parts of the foundation walls of the older circus on the site, Mothanders manege, which was demolished to make way for it. The gilded four-horse sculpture crowning the facade, a quadriga, was made by Carl Johan Dyfverman.