About Watford Fringe Festival
The Watford Fringe Festival is back in 2026 to celebrate its 10th anniversary, bringing you the best of festival entertainment right on your doorstep.
Entertaining audiences for ten years
Every year the Watford Fringe Festival hosts high quality national and international Fringe acts for local audiences to enjoy alongside supporting the best of local talent to develop and perform their shows.
From starting out as a small-scale weekend of performances, it has now grown to become a regular fixture in the local cultural calendar with shows taking place throughout the whole of July. Venues right across Watford now host an extraordinary live line-up of great theatre, music, comedy, dance, magic and family fun-filled shows.
This year’s Watford Fringe Festival will be the tenth and will officially kick off at a special launch event in the town centre on 4 July. Venues already signed up to host performances include the Watford Pump House, Watford Colosseum, Watford Palace Theatre, West Herts College, Lanchester School, and St Mary’s and St John’s Churches.
Lee Farman, chair of the Watford Pump House which co-ordinates the festival, said: “When we first floated the idea of staging a performing arts Fringe festival here in Watford we had no idea that 10 years on it would have grown into the success it is today.
“We’re really excited about the range and quality of performing arts we’re able to bring audiences in Watford this year. Some of these shows are going to sell out fast so we highly recommend booking your tickets early to avoid disappointment.”
The Festival is organised by the Watford Pump House in partnership with Watford Borough Council and sponsored by Watford Town Centre.
The performer registration portal for this year has now opened to applications. Anyone and everyone is welcome to apply, there’s no selection criteria. All you need to do is register your act online before the end of May.
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Fringe 2026 enquiries
If you have any questions about the upcoming 2026 Fringe Festival – whether you’re a venue, performer, volunteer, or partner – please contact Russ Clancy by emailing [email protected].
