Contact Us
The Camden Fringe is run by The Camden Fringe Limited.
Registered office: 36 Whitchurch Road, Manchester M20 1FX
If you have any enquiries you can email us via camdenfringe@gmail.com.
You can also find the Camden Fringe on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. Emailing is the best way to contact us though.
What is the Camden Fringe?
The Camden Fringe is a performing arts festival, established in 2006, which takes place in Camden during August. Anyone and everyone is welcome to apply. Previous fringe events have encompassed new writing, opera, musicals, stand-up, sketch comedy, dance, cabaret, poetry, opera, mentalism, improvisation and Q&As. Shows take place throughout the day and generally last one hour.
The Camden Fringe was set-up as an alternative to Edinburgh Festival, offering performers the chance to try out new material and different ideas in a supportive setting with less time and financial commitments than EdFringe did at the time. The Camden Fringe aims to give anyone the chance to perform and showcase their talents, from very experienced performers and companies, to ambitious newcomers. Since 2006 the Camden Fringe has gained a reputation for supporting acts, providing helpful information and guidance for the acts involved.
About Us
The Camden Fringe was set-up and is still run by Zena Barrie and Michelle Flower. As a duo they produced live shows at the Edinburgh Fringe from 2002 – 2006 and ran the Etcetera Theatre in Camden for 8 years from the beginning of 2004.
The first Camden Fringe took place in August 2006 at the Etcetera Theatre and included 57 performances by 22 acts over a 4 week period. The Camden Fringe has now grown to involve over 20 different venues and up to 300 acts annually.
The line-up of venues changes each year as we have different performance spaces being used, sometimes specifically for one production. Rather than being centred around the High Street, the Camden Fringe now encompasses the full length and width of the borough with participating venues stretching from Highgate to Covent Garden, and beyond.
The Camden Fringe Ltd was incorporated as a limited company in January 2009.
“The Camden Fringe represents a truly exciting and alternative fringe scene… Camden has earned itself quite a reputation for being a place of opportunity for young creatives, where fresh ideas and explorative shows are given a spotlight, whatever their budget may be.”
Everything Theatre
“A really fabulous alternative to Edinburgh Fringe, the Camden festival gives you some gems from the odder end of the performance spectrum.”
Evening Standard
“An edgy mix of comedy, theatre, dance and a bunch of other cool stuff, dotted around some of Camden’s best known venues. From humble beginnings, the Camden Fringe is now a rip-roaring event that gets bigger every year.”
TNT Magazine
“Each August, Camden Fringe is an unrivaled chance to see edgy, experimental and brand new theatre at bargain basement prices.”
Time Out
“What began as an antidote to the evacuation of theatre companies every August to Edinburgh Fringe, is now an established festival in its own right.”
Camden New Journal
“An increasingly important platform for experimental new work: in true fringe spirit you can bank on encountering imagination that’s run riot and the odd undiscovered gem.”
Metro
“Edinburgh’s mighty Fringe may be of international repute, but its rival in the south is gaining in confidence with every year. This rapidly growing festival serves as something of an incubator for its rival, attracting and fostering a host of new talent each year. Want to find the Ricky Gervais, Stewart Lee or Jimmy Carr of tomorrow? Look no further.”
Shortlist
“A David has emerged to challenge the Edinburgh Goliath: the Camden Fringe.”
The Guardian
“Best way to think of the Camden Fringe is one of those lovely niche festivals like Secret Garden Party or Green Man, to the Glastonbury of Edinburgh. i.e., there’s some good shit, and it’s a darn sight less hassle (and money) than its big bro.”
London is Funny
“Showcasing the unconventional and the innovative, it serves as an important incubator for new talent.”
London Living Large