Long gone is the old-fashioned idea of a clown with a red nose and a bucket of water, "new circus" is a sublime mixing of performance art, physical skill and emotional storytelling. Not to say that they don't also make it funny sometimes!

Circusbende Festival

Circusbende was first started in Amsterdam in 2018, and since then it has grown into a beloved summer attraction, with over 15.000 visitors. It's also beloved by performers, who come from all across the world to work together, explore their creativity and try out new acts and concepts. Expect the weird, and most definitely wonderful.

Performance art, musical theatre, acrobatics, comedy - you can find all of this in performances at Circusbende, as well as much, much more! Most of the acts are family-friendly, or even aimed at children, but some have age restrictions that are clear when you buy a ticket.

On top of the performances, the festival sites will host an eclectic combination of workshops, musicians, interactive installations, kinetic art, as well as popcorn and vegan food stalls.

The site is free to enter and enjoy, while some performances are ticketed and some are by donation. For donation-based shows, a recommended donation amount will be given, but rest assured, this is only a recommendation and the organisers want to shows to be accessible to all - give only what you can afford to.

Video credit: Youtube / Circusbende

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Where is Circusbende held?

The festival takes place over two long weekends. The first weekend is from August 13-16, and is in Het Groene Veld, in Amsterdam Noord. The second weekend takes place from August 27-30 in Erasmuspark in Amsterdam Oost. As the event in Het Groene Veld is most isolated from nearby residents, the party goes on late that weekend!

Het Groene Veld, G.J. Scheurleerweg 212, 1027 BA 

• Thursday, August 13: 6pm-11pm
• Friday, August 14: 4pm-4am
• Saturday, August 15: 11am-4am
• Sunday, August 16: 11am-11pm

Erasmuspark, Jan van Galenstraat

• Thursday, August 27: 6pm-10.30pm
• Friday, August 28: 4pm-10.30pm
• Saturday, August 290: 11am-10.30pm
• Sunday, August 30: 11am-10.30pm

Circus Parade

Each weekend features a series of workshops for children, bringing together hearing, hearing-impaired, and deaf children to learn new circus skills and hopefully develop a shared language. These workshops are aimed at 8-12 year-olds and take place from 10am-2.30pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and then on Sunday there is a parade where the children get to perform the new show they have created.

You must register your child in advance on the Circusbende website if they wish to take part.

Attending Circusbende

You can explore the whole programme on the Circusbende website. Some tickets can be bought in advance, but for those shows that are donation-based, no reservation is possible, so be early if you want to be sure of getting a spot. 

Both locations are accessible by public transport, and while some performances are outside, there are also shows inside tents if the Dutch weather doesn't play ball.