Circus Arena 2026: When the ring opened, something opened in me

By: Carsten Wyrle – Press photo Wyrle Studio

Some experiences stay with you long after you've gone home. That's how I felt when I stepped under the tent for Cirkus Arena's anniversary performance. Even before the lights went down, there was something in the air. A trembling anticipation. Children who couldn't sit still. Adults who smiled a little more openly than they usually do. And somewhere in the middle of it all, I could feel something awakening in me. Something from childhood. That feeling that the world can suddenly become bigger, wilder and more magical than everyday life otherwise allows.

An anniversary Europe has never seen before

Circus Arena will make circus history in 2026. Hanne and Benny Berdino are celebrating 50 years as a circus director couple, and according to Circus Arena itself, no other European circus director has ever been at the helm of a circus for so long. Over the course of half a century, they have developed Circus Arena from Denmark's smallest circus to the largest in the Nordic region, and it is felt in everything, from the first drumbeat to the last bow.

You don't need to know anything about the circus world to understand that this is something special. You can feel it from the moment Bubber and Malene Qvist enter the ring as ringmasters. They carry the show with a warmth and joy that spreads across the ranks. Malene Qvist, who many know from Sukkerchok and Ramasjang, sings her way straight into the hearts of the children. Bubber charms both the little ones and their parents. Together they create the feeling that we are all part of something, and not just spectators.

The smell of sawdust and the child's gaze

I have experienced many events over the years. But the circus hits a completely different place. Maybe it was the smell of sawdust. Maybe it was the light cones, the music and the rhythm. Maybe it was just the rare feeling that both children and adults entered the same room with open senses. Because the circus can still do something that many other things can't. It can make us put our everyday lives and our mobile phones aside for a moment and just be present.

It struck me that I wasn't just sitting with the usual adult gaze at the performance. I was watching it with the eyes of a child. The gaze that isn't in a hurry to analyze, but simply receives.

And that's perhaps where Circus Arena still has its strength. Not only in the spectacular, but also in the human aspect.

A clown who brings the whole tent together in laughter

Michael Alves is this year's new clown, and he comes in with an energy that almost spreads throughout the tent. Together with Jimmy Folco, he creates the moments where the laughter starts with the children and rolls on through the rows to the adults. It looks easy, but it is anything but easy. Timing, presence and contact with the audience have to be right on target. And it does.

There's something very special about sitting in a tent where three generations are laughing at the same thing. The grandfather with his arms crossed, the grandson next to him with wide eyes, and a mother suddenly laughing louder than her own child. It's a kind of magic that only happens in the ring.

World records and the weather they are held

One of the acts that really got the audience and me holding our breath was cycling artist Kelly Folco. He is the first person ever to ride a unicycle built with 15 wheels stacked on top of each other. It almost sounds absurd until you see it with your own eyes. The entire tent sits in the same tense silence as he works his way up, wheel by wheel.

Then there are Quincy Azzario and Rubel Medini, gold and silver winners of the Monte Carlo Circus Festival and holders of seven Guinness World Records. Their rola rola act literally teeters on the edge of the impossible, and you almost forget to breathe.

And then there are the horses, who belong in a circus. They move around the ring with a calmness and precision that you only see in animals that have been trained with patience and care. The aerial acrobatics, the juggling, the illusions. It's all put together for a 2,5-hour performance where you never get bored.

What happens outside the ring

The amazing thing about the show wasn't just the big acts. It was just as much what was happening around them. Children eagerly pointing up towards the ring. A collective gasp and laughter that spread. A moment of silence, where many people at once were absorbed in the same thing.

That's where the circus becomes more than entertainment. It becomes a community of wonder.

As a photographer, I've often thought that the circus is made for pictures. The excitement, the beams of light, the sweet magic that unfolds before your eyes. You rarely get that close. So close that you almost forget where you are sitting.

A reminder for us adults

For me, the evening was not just a great performance. It was a reminder that we don't lose the ability to wonder just because we get older. It's still there.

Sometimes all it takes is a riding arena, some sawdust and a few brave people to wake it up. And then the rush and laughter of a child who will always see the world as wonderful and magical.

When I left, the feeling was still in my body. Not just as excitement over a great evening, but as a quiet reminder that the world must feel bigger again for a while.

Circus Arena on tour 2026

If you didn't get to experience Cirkus Arena in Aarhus, there's still plenty of opportunity to catch the anniversary performance. The tour continues throughout the summer, and no matter where in the country you live, the circus is likely to be stopping by near you:

Jutland: until June 17, 2026
Funen: June 18 to 26, 2026
Zealand and the islands: from June 27, 2026
Copenhagen and surrounding area: July and August 2026
Bornholm: July 12 to 17, 2026

You can find the specific venues and tickets at Circus Arena's website.