Theme Park Music and Sound Research

Sonic Cartographies: Mapping Music and Sound in Theme Parks

18–20 June 2026

Royal Holloway University of London

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.

The event 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 Music in the Disney Theme Parks, published by Routledge.

We will also be spending time collaboratively devising approaches to mapping theme park sound, as part of our ‘sonic cartographies’ theme. We are planning a day for sound walking and mapmaking between two days of traditional conference activities to put these methods into practice, and to evaluate our findings.

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 after the conference. We look forward to your participation in any way you feel able!

Learn more here.

Organizers:

Tim Summers (Royal Holloway University of London)

Carissa Baker (University of Central Florida)

William Ayers (University of Central Florida