With maps in hand, children secured in strollers, and bags strapped to waists, guests at amusement parks are prepared to explore the themed lands that transport them to faraway and fantastical places. The spectacular attractions, shows, rides, and experiences of these parks provide new senses of scope and space, but they also encourage a form of sonic cartography with sounds and music defining and grounding their numerous themed areas.
This conference (to be held at Royal Holloway, University of London, with remote access options available) invites paper proposals for research talks and demonstrations about the music and sound of theme parks and other themed spaces, experiences, and explorations. We accept proposals from academic researchers, industry professionals, or anyone with experience, knowledge, or insight to share.
Research topics might include (but are certainly not limited to):
> Conceptual approaches to sonic cartography and soundwalking in themed experiences,
> Analytical perspectives on music and sound in theme parks,
> Historical antecedents and models of music and sound in theme parks,
> Cultural and social issues of theme park sound and music,
> Adaptation and representation of theme parks and their music across media,
> Sonic technologies and live/virtual implementations of sound in theme parks,
> Guest behaviour and virtual agency with regard to theme park music and sound.
We encourage proposals for 20-minute talks, but we also welcome proposals for other formats and demonstrations. Feel free to email the organizers to discuss the possibilities. While the conference will be held in person, we are planning to have a panel of asynchronous virtual presentations for those unable to travel to Royal Holloway. Indicate in your submission whether you plan to attend in person. Please submit your paper proposal of no more than 250 words (with a short provisional bibliography) by email to tim.summers@rhul.ac.uk by January 9, 2026. We aim to communicate the program decisions by early February. If you require more information, do get in contact with us.
The conference will include keynote addresses by Olivia Zorab, composer for theme parks including numerous attractions and areas in Lost Kingdom at Paultons Park, and Gregory Camp, Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland and author of the forthcoming volume Music in the Disney Theme Parks, published by Routledge.
For those looking to attend, we are planning a park day (full of soundwalking and mapmaking) between two days of traditional conference activities, so we hope that you will join us either as a presenter or an attendee. For those interested but unable to travel to the conference, there will be a livestream viewer option to watch the conference remotely, and the papers will be hosted on our online repository (https://stars.library.ucf.edu/tpms/) after the conference. We look forward to your participation in any way you feel able!