Durham Fringe Festival

Durham Fringe Festival We’re a Community Interest Company set up to establish an annual Fringe Festival in Durham City.

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT 📣We are currently recruiting for a Programme & Engagement Assistant to join us for an 8-week paid ...
04/06/2026

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT 📣

We are currently recruiting for a Programme & Engagement Assistant to join us for an 8-week paid placement in Durham. This individual will work directly with our team, based in our brand-new venue The Academy in Durham City Centre. This role provides a rare opportunity to support the launch of an emerging venue, working with our Festival Manager, helping to install new venue operating systems, engaging with a wide range of audiences including customers, people interested in or actively working in performing arts, and cultural organisations from across the region.

This placement will also have the opportunity to support 6th Durham Fringe Festival, which will take place from Wednesday 29th July to Sunday 2nd August, across 11 participating venues. While based at The Academy, the placement holder will also have the opportunity to engage in the wider planning and delivery of the festival, providing experience of Arts Projects and Festival management more broadly. There is also further opportunity to work on the development of The Academy’s 12-month programme, and gain experience in an organisation experiencing significant growth and change.

Interested? Find a link with all the details and info on how to apply via https://linktr.ee/durhamfringe

This paid placement is made possible thanks to support from Into the Light

We're hosting two FREE showcase events to kick off this year's Durham Fringe with a bang 💥Our showcases offer up to 6 di...
31/05/2026

We're hosting two FREE showcase events to kick off this year's Durham Fringe with a bang 💥

Our showcases offer up to 6 different acts from the festival's programme an opportunity to give you a sample of their show in less than 10 minutes. It's a fantastic way to kick off your week at the Fringe and get inspired about which shows you might want to see.

Tickets are free (and close to selling out!) Book online at durhamfringe.co.uk/events

MAKE A DAY OF IT AT DURHAM FRINGE ✨With over 140 different shows, you have SO MUCH to choose from! Come for the day, or ...
30/05/2026

MAKE A DAY OF IT AT DURHAM FRINGE ✨

With over 140 different shows, you have SO MUCH to choose from! Come for the day, or even join us for the full five days.

When you book tickets for any 3 different shows, you will automatically get 10% off. Simple as that. With tickets already priced at just £5 - £15, you can soak up incredible performances without breaking the bank.

Explore the full programme at durhamfringe.co.uk/events

What are your top 3 picks?

How the Discover Durham Fringe ticket offer works ⬇
This offer activates when you book to see three different shows. The offer will not apply to a group of three people seeing one show.
The Discover offer only applies in a single transition and discounts cannot be backdated if additional purchases are made later. It is only available for tickets to shows sold through durhamfringe.co.uk and can be applied to full price, family, and concession tickets

Our final 2026 venue announcement is a rather exciting one...This summer, we are opening The Academy, a new performing a...
29/05/2026

Our final 2026 venue announcement is a rather exciting one...

This summer, we are opening The Academy, a new performing arts venue which will serve not only as a space for events -- including Durham Fringe Festival 2026 -- but it will also house a practical, inclusive and welcoming hub where artists, producers and technicians can learn, make, practice and thrive. Those of you local to Durham may have already seen us begin work to convert a former retail space in Prince Bishops into what will soon become a 70-capacity black box theatre.

However, The Academy is more than just a performance space. Thanks to funding from Arts Council England, Durham Fringe will host a range of workshops, masterclasses, networking events, and even offer flexible, affordable rehearsal space. The Academy will open its doors ahead of this year's Festival but we're thrilled to announce it will remain open well into 2027!

We've got lots more to tell you about this new project soon, but for now, we're excited to announce the incredibly diverse range of shows coming to this venue during Durham Fringe

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway, adapted by Philip Harrison
Richard Pulsford: Yorkshire Dad, Immigrant Mum
Living la vida Lorca
Adam Flood: Life And Death Of The Party
A Tail for Our Future
Lament of the Wandering Head by Sun Son Theatre
Of Mice and Men
A History Of The Last Conservative Government, In Their Own Stupid Words
1 Big Oops
99 Red Hot Kitties & a Cockatoo
A Political Brunch
Snow Along the Line
Deluge
Harun Musho'd: Why I Don’t Talk To People About Terrorism

Find info and tickets, head to: https://durhamfringe.co.uk/events/?&venue=98

The Academy would not be possible without the venue's key sponsor, EMG Solicitors. We are immensely grateful for their continuing support.

Gala Theatre, here we come! 🎭Durham Fringe Festival will return to the mighty Gala Durham 🎉This year, we are thrilled to...
27/05/2026

Gala Theatre, here we come! 🎭

Durham Fringe Festival will return to the mighty Gala Durham 🎉

This year, we are thrilled to be expanding beyond the Studio space and hosting shows in the Main Auditorium across three days of the festival! This is such an exciting step for us, and you'll get two performance spaces under one roof.

OUR SHOWS IN THE STUDIO 👇
The best ever cartoon draw along in the world ever
Offgridland
Sherlock Holmes The Death and Life
Love Factually
Rachel Creeger: "Queen Of The Jews!" (WIP)
Kópakonan
Snakes & Ladders
Rock Bottom
Fossil Fury
Mabel
Crystal Unclear: An Improvised Séance
Humdinger Words for Whippersnappers and Guttersnipes
Will BF: MOON TEAM IIIV
Compression Test
Mustard

OUR MAIN AUDITORIUM SHOWS 👇
Northern Lights presents... Horrible Harmonies (History as you’ve never heard it before!)
Tom Bolton: Just Magic
Romeo. Juliet.
Acroflex Acrobatic Academy
The Space Between Your Ears

Tickets for these are available only through our website: durhamfringe.co.uk/events

Alongside this programme of Gala Theatre shows, we are working in partnership with Gala Theatre to bring you Durham Fringe's first ever headline act, the brilliant 🙌 Tickets for Harriet's show are available directly through the Gala website: galadurham.co.uk/harriet-kemsley

27/05/2026

Durham Fringe Festival tickets are now on sale!

Over 140 shows across 11 venues in Durham City Centre. Featuring an incredible range of talented performers from across the world. Discover the next incredible stage show, support grassroots talent, enjoy a truly memorable experience against the backdrop of a stunning historic city.

Head to www.durhamfringe.co.uk to explore the full programme & book tickets.

Durham Fringe will return to City Theatre this Summer 🙌We're bringing a spectacular run of shows to this excellent littl...
25/05/2026

Durham Fringe will return to City Theatre this Summer 🙌

We're bringing a spectacular run of shows to this excellent little theatre in the heart of the City. Here's what you'll be able to see 👇
ALL HAIL THE GREAT COSMIC MOTHER!
Brooklyn’s Magic Hour
The Durham R***e: Raiders of the Lost Laughs
Pure Imagination
How Do I Hold It?
Online Presence
Jake Donaldson: The Fifth Weezer
It's Your Role
Lichfield & Larmouth Present: "The Greatest Magic Show"
The Wonder Years
World war why?
S*x, Drugs & Conscious Souls

Find tickets for these shows here: https://durhamfringe.co.uk/events/?&venue=100

Durham Dramatic Society

It's time to officially announce a new Durham Fringe 2026 venue... Fellows' Garden. Set in the grounds of Durham Castle,...
20/05/2026

It's time to officially announce a new Durham Fringe 2026 venue... Fellows' Garden. Set in the grounds of Durham Castle, this is a debut for this newly-renovated and totally breath-taking performance space. We are so lucky to be one of the first events hosted here!

This is an outdoor venue but there will be cover for the audience. As much as we are banking on summer sunshine, we are based in North East England!

Fellows' Garden will play host to a range of shows throughout Durham Fringe week 👇
Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor
Sea Shanties
Blind Dating
The Magic Sweet Jar
Sing Your Cares Away
Flat 504
Thresholds
A Q***r Little Murder
Romeo and Juliet
Bonnie Wee Dance Workshop

Grab tickets for any of those shows here on our website: https://durhamfringe.co.uk/events/?&venue=97

We are returning to Palace Green this summer 🙌Set against the backdrop of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, our Palace Green...
19/05/2026

We are returning to Palace Green this summer 🙌

Set against the backdrop of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, our Palace Green stage offers both performers and visitors an experience unlike any other. The atmosphere is amazing at this outdoor venue, and food and drink traders will be on site to provide tasty treats that mean you can spend your whole day here!

Our 2026 Palace Green shows are 👇
Durham Fringe Family Showcase AND Durham Fringe Showcase - FREE to attend and offer the opportunity to sample a range of shows to catch throughout the week.
The Giant Balloon Show
Lights, Music & Thrills!
LLIVELY Music Presents
Jack Drum Ukulele Ensemble (Jack Drum Arts)
Jazzy Dystopia (Jack Drum Arts)
EMMA: Oops!... I Did It Again (Menstrual Rage Theatre Co)
Marsh Family
Twelfth Night (or What You Will) (Theatre Space NE CIC)
The Other Gender
Silver Shantymen
Hels Pattison
Driven Serious
Durham Scratch Choir
Comedy Of Errors by The Shakespeare Circus
Jeddy Bear & Gary's Pie Wars

Find tickets for Palace Green shows: https://durhamfringe.co.uk/events/?&venue=91

We are returning for our second year at Durham University's Department of Music! This is a stunning venue located just o...
13/05/2026

We are returning for our second year at Durham University's Department of Music!

This is a stunning venue located just off Palace Green, very close to two other stages you'll find at Durham Fringe 2026.

Historic Building? ✅
Stunning grand piano? ✅
Packed from day to night with incredible shows? ✅

You'll find these shows in this venue's lineup 👇
The Rookery Band
BBC Upload Takeover
Tag Team: Full Score Barbershop Choir
Improv on Demand
THE LAST DAYS OF TRUMP
The Improvesarios
UNREDACTED
Isabel Maria
Olivia Graham: Legend & Lore
Daniel Cainer: What Am I, Chopped Liver?
Delusions and Grandeur
Abbie Finn Trio
You Decide
A TAPESTRY OF LIFE
Inglenook
Florence Andrea, singer-songwriter
The World at 15mph... ish

Find tickets here: https://durhamfringe.co.uk/events/?&venue=87

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Durham City Centre
Durham

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+447903871238

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