#LancsFringe Line up revealed for UK's biggest free Performance Festival

The line up for Lancashire Fringe Festival has been announced for Preston’s biggest performance festival – with some of the best UK’s best shows coming to the city.

Over 20 shows and performances will take place on 15 consecutive nights from Wednesday, September 25 until 9th October 2024, across various venues, including The Ferret, Vinyl tap, The Continental, UCLan’s Media Factory, Preston Central Methodist Church and Preston Bus Station.

There is also a unique Poet’s Pub Tour which will take in several independent pubs and bars across the city, including Lost Bar, Winedown and Winckley Street Real Ale House.

Several of the shows coming to the festival have been big hits at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe – including Louise Orwin’s five-star rated TikTok-inspired show Famehungry, Naomi Wood’s acrobatic spoken word show Gobbess and Cheekykita’s word-of-mouth hit clowning show An Octopus, the Universe ’n’ Stuff.

See the full Programme Lineup further down.

Legendary Preston-based radio presenter John Gillmore will host the exciting Short Story Slam, where the audience votes for their favourite short stories which are read out live by local writers.

There are several double bill nights including Work-in-Progress performances by Nathan Birkinshaw and Blackpool’s Martha Pailing, plus dance pieces by Aimee Williamson and Aline Costa. Costa’s WIP at Lancashire Fringe Festival two years ago was a major success and she has gone on to develop a full conceptual dance performance.

Specially commissioned pieces include new writing by Kirkham-based writer and actor Sarah Green, brand new work by Preston College student Lydia Baines and the return of the hugely popular Lancashire Briefs monologues by Lancashire People’s Theatre.

LPT’s work features new writing monologues by Lancashire writers, performed by Lancashire actors. As well as a date at The Continental where over 100 people are expected to see the performances, Lancashire Briefs ’24 will also be performed at community venues to give all audiences the chance to see their work. Lancashire Briefs ’24 be performed at Plungington Community Centre and Penwortham Arts in South Ribble.

All shows in Lancashire Fringe Festival are free - with an optional Pay What You Decide donation bucket available at the end of each show.

Festival creator Garry Cook, who has put on shows independently at various venues across the city for the last decade, said: 

“It is not a secret in Preston that engaging audiences with arts and culture is a massive problem. Not enough people are coming out to see live entertainment, theatre, shows, comedy or whatever. “It’s a long-term problem exacerbated by the closure of The Guild Hall and the Harris Museum, by not having an Arts Centre and having only one working theatre space.

“It is widely acknowledged that arts and culture drives economic growth, so addressing this problem is crucial for Preston, particularly as the Animate leisure complex in Preston moves forward. “This festival’s primary aim is to address that problem by making the shows free. I’ve just been to Edinburgh Fringe where I was paying £17 minimum to see shows. Most people in Preston won’t come out for a £12 show, never mind one which costs £30 or £35.

“These free shows are crucial for Preston’s arts future - to re-engage audiences and encourage people to come out and experience live performance. They will get to see something unforgettable. It’s the experience of being there and being entertained by something thought-provoking and unusual which makes this festival so special.

“Following on from the festival, there will also be one show a month put on with subsidised ticket prices. This is to ensure Preston audiences have an accessible and affordable opportunity to continue to see lve performance and theatre in this city.”

The festival is funded by Arts Council England.

Shows List

Full details of the shows can be found at www.enjoyshow.co.uk

Weds, Sept 25 

Naomi Wood: Gobbess (performance, acrobatics, spoken word)

Media Factory, UCLan (7.30pm)

Cheekykita: An Octopus, the Universe ’n’ Stuff  (comedy)

The Ferret (9pm)

Thurs Sept 26 

Lancashire People’s Theatre: Lancashire Briefs ’24 (theatre)

Penwortham Arts Centre (7.30pm)

Fri Sept 27 

Lancashire People’s Theatre: Lancashire Briefs ’24 (theatre)

Plungington Community Centre (7.30pm)

FREE show - no tickets needed

Sat Sept 28

Phoebe Foxtrot: Capacity To Hold (1-2-1 performance)

- Preston Bus Station (from 12pm noon until 6pm)

Shak (spoken word + open mic)

- Preston Bus Station (6pm)

Sole Rebel (music and tap dance)

- Preston Bus Station (7pm)

Joshua Holden: Rise of the Fire Wolf (fire show)

Preston Bus Station (7.45pm)

Sun Sept 29 (7.30pm)

Lancashire People’s Theatre: Lancashire Briefs ’24 (theatre)

- The Continental 29 (7.30pm)

Mon Sept 30 

Nathan Birkinshaw: Get a Proper Job (performance)

- The Continental (7.30pm)

Martha Pailing: Chat Sh*t, Get Hit (performance)

- The Continental (8.30pm)

Tues Oct 01

Aimee Williamson: Ballad of the Selkie (dance)

- The Continental (7.30pm)

Aline Costa: In Bloom (dance)

- The Continental (8pm)

Weds Oct 02 

Close Enough to Touch (theatre)

- The Ferret (7.30pm)

Thurs Oct 03

Anthony Briscoe: Talentless Millennial Poet (spoken word + open mic)

- Vinyl Tap (7.30pm)

Fri Oct 04

Short Story Slam 

- hosted by John Gillmore Preston Central Methodist Church (7.30pm)

Sat Oct 05 

Louise Fazackerley’s Poet’s Pub Tour

- Various locations (from 3pm)

The Girl Organist: Her Hair (organ performance and dance)

- Preston Central Methodist Church (5.30pm)

Sun Oct 06 

Nana Funk: Tough Old Bird (performance, comedy)

- The Continental (7.30pm)

Mon Oct 07, 2024

Unnamed play by Lydia Baines (theatre)

- The Ferret (7.30pm)

Jo & Dave Have Moved (theatre)

- The Ferret (8.30pm)

Tues Oct 08 

The S WERD (spoken word + open mic)

- The Ferret (7pm)

Weds Oct 09 

Louise Orwin: Famehungry (performance)

- Media Factory, UCLan (7.30pm)

Full details of the shows can be found at www.enjoyshow.co.uk