The helium circulator is the key equipment to drive the helium gas flowing in the primary loop for energy exchange in HTGR. Active magnetic bearings (AMB) have been considered as an alternative to replace traditional mechanical bearings in the helium circulator. Such contactless bearings do not have frictional wear and can be used to suppress vibration in rotor-dynamic applications. It is necessary to study the vibration characteristics of the maglev helium circulator to guarantee the reactor safety. Therefore, a maglev circulator test rig was built. The power of the circulator is 180 kW and the maximum speed is 17000 rpm. For the time being, the test atmosphere is air. In this paper the test rig was introduced. Vibration test work of the maglev circulator was also carried out. The measuring points were arranged at the seat because the seat vibration level is important to evaluate the machine noise. The measuring points were also arranged at the base of the circulator housing to better study the vibration characteristics. The vibrations were measured by the LC-8024 multichannel machinery diagnoses system. At each measuring point the vibrations were detected in three directions(X, Y and Z) with the vibration acceleration sensors. The test speeds varied from 1000 rpm to 17000 rpm with an increase of 1000 rpm each time. The vibration values of the seat are from 89.5 dB at 1000 rpm to 113.3 dB at 17000 rpm. The test results showed that the maglev circulator exhibits good vibration properties. This work will offer important theoretical base and engineering experience to explore the high-speed helium circulator in HTGR.