Ventnor Fringe

Arts Festival · July/August

Ventnor Fringe is an independent arts festival held across multiple venues in Ventnor during late July and early August. The festival was established in 2010 and has grown into one of the island's most distinctive cultural events, bringing theatre, comedy, music, spoken word, visual art, film and performance art to the town's pubs, cafes, galleries, parks and streets.

The festival operates on an open-access model, meaning that any performer or company can register to take part, in the tradition of the Edinburgh Fringe. This produces a programme that is eclectic, unpredictable and occasionally brilliant. Shows range from established touring acts to first-time performers trying out new material. The intimate venues, many of which are simply the back rooms of pubs or corners of cafes, create a direct connection between performers and audiences.

Ventnor's unique setting, tumbling down the cliff face to the Esplanade with its microclimate and subtropical gardens, provides a striking backdrop. The town's bohemian character and its community of artists, writers and creative types give the Fringe a natural home. The festival has helped put Ventnor on the map as a cultural destination and has contributed to the town's ongoing reinvention.

Most events are affordable, with many free or pay-what-you-feel, and the festival atmosphere spills out of the venues into the streets, creating a lively, creative buzz across the town for the duration.