The Bath Fringe is a festival of all the arts, with few rules as to what should be in or out – it’s what people want to do, and what venues in Bath want to put on. It all happens for 2 long weeks & 3 weekends (17 days or thereabouts) in early summer, in the beautiful city of Bath.
Fringe 2021
Bath Fringe 2021 Opens The Summer!
Bath Fringe is always among the first big arts events of the summer in an average year. In this extraordinary year it still marks a beginning: in 2021 Bath Fringe is a celebration of the return and re-opening of live culture – the offscreen and real-life kind – and the gradual relaxation of lockdowns. To say we’re excited about it is something of an understatement.
What would be our regular dates around the summer half-term (May 28 – June 13) – all else being equal and if everything proceeds as we all hope it will – will see a series of indoor shows in classic Bath venues and pop-ups, including Theatre, Live Music, Comedy, Visual Arts, all set up to function and be enjoyed under the distancing regime for events that we expect to see by then (something like last autumn’s). Over the first few weeks after that, as re-opening proceeds, we will also run some outdoor events, including our annual Bedlam Fair street event, and support the re-opening of the independent Bath venues we generally work with. There will also be a few self-promoted events from visiting and local artists.
We expect to be able to announce events in more detail around the beginning of May, and we’ll be telling you a lot more about it then – although inevitably given the pace of change initial plans will be subject to modification as we go. This website will include all we know and be regularly updated from then on – updates also available on social media streams – and we will produce a paper programme too, though this will obviously be rather slimmer than it usually is (at least one thing will be!).
ARTISTS: If you have a show that’s ready to go, get in touch [EMail best, we’re not in our office yet]: it will be possible to put an event in this year’s Fringe, if it fits in at least approximately with our dates and is independently produced. You’ll need to be in a dialogue with an appropriate venue – for advice on this, have a look at our previous venue list, and we can discuss the options for 2021. We’re happy to discuss individual projects to see if we can help. BUT THERE IS A STRICT DEADLINE, FRIDAY 30th APRIL – and that’s for a ready-to-go event, not just an idea. CONTACT US NOW! There is more advice about how to be a Fringe artist/show in general here.
VENUES: If you’re a regular Fringe venue and we’ve not been in touch, we’ve been trying! If you’ve not been involved recently but are interested in hosting some Fringe events this summer, or if you have or are planning some events you’d like to be part of the festival, EMail us. There is more general advice about how to be a Fringe Venue here.
FRINGE ARTS BATH: Their website, calls, and other information for visual/conceptual/’live’/etc. artists is here.