This site should now be displaying the 2023 Bath Fringe festival programme.
Click HERE for the full festival lineup [or ‘What’s On’ on the main menu].
We think it’s a significant step up from last year, more artists are being more ambitious, we were all a bit still under the cloud of the pandemic in Summer ’22…
Some events are still gaining their final configuration, and also there are likely to be some mistakes, at least for the first few days until we’ve noticed them all: spot something that doesn’t make sense or doesn’t work? EMail or message us!
Author: Steve
Fringe 2023 Application Process Open
To get your event included in Bath Fringe 2023, start by EMailing wendy@bathfringe.co.uk; she will provide you with a log-in to our submission process – you write your own listing [if necessary we edit for length or to avoid confusion].
The process will be online from
Applications close at midnight on Monday March 6
You can update your event until 6pm on Friday March 17 [or later in ‘emergencies’]
The Fringe runs from Friday May 26 to Sunday June 11, though if you have an event in the week before or after that we are generally glad to include that in our programmes.
There is a charge of £50 per event: this sum has not been increased since 1066, and gets you in both our print and online programmes. There are reductions for repeat performances, series, etc., and you can add display advertising in the programme brochure.
For general information about putting a show into Bath Fringe see our website, this page www.bathfringe.co.uk/about-the-fringe/putting-a-show-into-bath-fringe/
For a more detailed checklist of what you need to do, a more comprehensive guide for artists is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gsOVFjNf9n7uIK5Hzbw40GKsuI55vW0zphzvdbfHXbU/edit?usp=sharing
If you’re a new Fringe venue, there’s a similar guide for you here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15k9s3vTCRsG0kN2pGyrvTBvK-3CMaBMKrfMXaMhY-X4/edit?usp=sharing
Both of these will be updated as appropriate.
If your show doesn’t yet have a venue, there are still suitable spaces for hire, although some of the traditionally ‘best’ venues are already booked [in some cases months ago]. See our comprehensive list here www.bathfringe.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/BATH-FRINGE-VENUES-LIST-2023-in-progress.pdf
or via the Fringe Website ‘Links & Downloads’ page.
Our 2023 artwork will shortly be announced. It’s great.
If what you do fits better with Visual/Plastic/Conceptual/Live/Digital/Video Arts, you might like to check out the application process to our friends Fringe Arts Bath, whose festival runs concurrently. There is no need to be in both programmes. www.fringeartsbath.co.uk/
Bath Fringe 2023 – Open Meeting – Tuesday January 24, 6pm
It’s time for the annual Bath Fringe Open Meeting.
This is mostly intended for people wanting to put a show on for the first time; maybe also if you’re drastically changing what you’re going to do from previously, if you’re looking for collaborators, if you’re still looking for a direction or inspiration. Of course if you’re clued-up & confident and want to tell us all about why, it’s very pleasant & positive to hear about that too!
Approximately at the same time we ought to have ready an updated Bath venues guide, and the application procedure for Fringe 2023 (we’re not expecting those to be greatly different from last time round) – but it’s not necessary to come to the meeting to get that info: you may even already have heard from us, and if not, EMail wendy@bathfringe.co.uk and she will fill you in with everything you need to know when it’s ready. As a rough outline, the festival runs Friday May 26 – Sunday June 11, and the programme deadline is likely to be in early March [TBC]. We will also put another mailing & posts around when that information is available.If you’re from way out of town and don’t fancy an evening in our favourite pub (our office is next door) you can also EMail us and get all the info & a discussion of what you need to know and do.
Everybody is welcome, but the meeting is mostly intended for performers & producers: if you want to volunteer for the Fringe there will be a call-out later in the year, but you’re welcome to come and say hello; if you’re a new or old venue and want to chat with us or with other experienced venues, EMail us and we’ll see if there’s demand to set up a venues meeting too, or we can chat anyway.
This is – for want of a better term – the Performing Arts part of the Fringe. If what you do is happier with a description like visual, plastic, conceptual, ‘live’, online/digital art or moving image, you might be better talking first to our friends over at FAB Fringe Arts Bath. We expect some of FAB to be at the meeting too but it may be a better use of your time to be directly in touch with them.
Info for artists & venues
There is now also information online for use when planning an event for the festival.
There is a general guide for artists here.
And general info for Venues [quite similar] here.
Timeline here.
Other useful information & resources may be downloadable from this very site, see www.bathfringe.co.uk/about-the-fringe/links/
EMail us on admin<at>bathfringe.co.uk
Print Programme updates
The print programmes have appeared, and along with them a fresh crop of corrections: sometimes things change after we go to press, sometimes things should have been changed before we went to press. Generally the most up-to-date and correct info is here on the website.
Here are a couple of issues about which reality is non-congruent with what it says in the print programme:
Ma Bessie, Chapel Arts, Saturday 27th, tickets are £15 in advance & £17 on the door.
Luke De-Scisio, Chapel Arts, Thursday 8th, tickets are £12 in advance & £14 on the door, not the other way round.
CANCELLED SHOW: Anu Vaidyanathan
We are sorry to report that Anu Vaidyanathan‘s show Blimp at The Rondo [June 7th] has been cancelled. This is down to a variety of factors, one of which being that Anu had a very attractive offer for some film work that was rendering her trip here uneconomic. Oh the life of the freelance artist. We wish her the best.
Whilst on the topic, the Brujas Flamenco show at The Bell on June 12 has also been pulled, unavailability of backing musicians being the problem; it will be rescheduled – but it was only ever an ‘after the fringe’ date anyway…
In general we will be keeping a running account of cancellations and major changes here on the website news section, and indicating in the listings when a show is cancelled. I’d say “watch this space” but I’m hoping we won’t have too much to report.
More FaB things
We’ve added some more of the FaB Fringe Arts Bath events and performances to our calendar too!
On Wednesday 31 May, regular Fab Fringe Visitors Ron Hutt & Anna Novakov present Experiments in Olfactory and Musical Composition from 4pm in 44AD. We’ve seen R&A in action before, and can assure you that tho’ it might be strange, it’s never uninteresting or unmoving. They’re pretty darn unique and we’re lucky they keep on coming here.
On the same day [you can see both, no problem] local Folk-Horror film anthology REWILDING has a showing at 7pm in Newark Works. The Guardian bless ’em thinks it’s ‘outsider cinema’ so let’s take that as a compliment, ey? The event also includes Finglebone playing atmospherics, drones and field recordings along with relevant visuals.
Karen Wallis is another regular FaB contributor and local arts figure. She’s been lucky enough to be Artist in Residence at the excavations of the amazing Ness of Brodgar on Orkney, and on 3rd June at Newark Works she will be showing work and a film, with particular reference to the Archaeologists’ own everyday process.
On June 5th at 8pm at Newark Works, two text based performances about Gender and The Body. Both pieces seen as work-in-progress at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory as part of SPARK, a curated series of pieces by outstanding early career artists.
GRIPE brings international video to Newark Works every day 11am-6pm. ‘Bath’s Tiny LoFi Indie Film Show’ is what it says, and as a description that’s a good start… For programming look here.
Are we really thinking about next year already?
… yes we are doing just that. 2024 was good but we can all do better!
We will shortly publish a report (or two) and the wheels are already turning. We have some new ideas and some fun old ones to revive…
Red Diesel Unavailable
Due “to an unavoidable personal situation”, Red Diesel, Fabulous or otherwise, will be unable to do their gig on Saturday 8th. They are in the process of refunding tickets.
May we also remind you that the Black Dog Production of ‘Let’s Unpack That’ on Friday 7th is also cancelled – this was announced some time ago but the event is still obviously in the printed programme.
United Visionaries of Bath – lineup announcement
We’re very pleased to announce that we’ve probably got the première of new Bath film ‘Bladud’ – well we have as long as they’ve finished the edit. Failing that it will be an exclusive pre-release version! We’re hoping Jamie Hughes or one of his crew will say a few words – and the same for the other directors whose work we are showing tonight. We loved the pre-shooting fundraiser, and we’re excited to see where it’ll end up.
We got the inspiration for a made-in-Bath film night last year when Ric Rawlins showed ‘Rewilding’, and we’re pleased to show our Walcot roots with his short documentary ‘The Yellow Shop’.
Ric introduced us to Cara Bamford and her affecting Bath written & crewed short ‘Talia’, with Kirris Riviere, whom we’ve always known was an actor as well as a blues singer, and here he proves it.
Plus, a late addition: Vicky Vatcher‘s ‘Maybe‘ is a light comedy about a freshers’ week make and break up, filmed at the YMCA and Devonshire tunnel.
And finally, for those who haven’t had enough, we will end the evening with a showing of the legendary Nasher‘s best-known film, ‘Gordon, The Movie’, [55min approx.]
With thanks to FaB and Arran for doing all the complicated stuff.
Full listing here.