Everything You Need to Know About: Newcastle Fringe Festival
Comedy, cabaret, theatre and music... Newcastle Fringe Festival has it all!
Away from Newcastle’s big theatres there’s a thriving underground in fringe theatres, pub backrooms and all sorts of other cultural spaces. From uproarious stand-up comedy to powerful theatre to remarkable dance, there’s always something going on in the city.
The annual Newcastle Fringe Festival celebrates exactly this, shining a light on the kind of cultural things that are happening all the time throughout the city and beyond.
It's a fantastic, ten-day affair featuring theatre, comedy, music and more and ahead of its kick-off date in July, we've compiled all the details you need to get the most out of this exciting festival – now all you need to do is get booking and immerse yourself in its performances.
What is Newcastle Fringe Festival?
Newcastle Fringe Festival describes itself as ‘ten jam-packed days showcasing the very best performing arts’ - and that seems like a perfectly good summary to us.
It’s a multi-venue, ten-day festival of comedy, theatre, music and more taking place all over the city, with more than 90 artists from both the North East of England and across the globe, all with the express aim of entertaining you!
The whole shebang has been produced by Alphabetti Theatre founder Ali Pritchard and is brought to you by a big team of cultural freelancers from the region.
Where is it happening?
The hub of the festival is Alphabetti Theatre but there are also events in other Newcastle city centre venues including The Newgate Social, The Lubber Fiend, Prohibition and Dance City and other performances at venues in Ouseburn including The Old Coal Yard, The Cumberland Arms and The Biscuit Factory.
When is it happening?
The festival runs from Tuesday 22nd July to Saturday 2nd August 2025 with performances taking place from the afternoon through to the evening. Check the official Newcastle Fringe Festival website for the full schedule.
Which artists and performers are taking part?
As usual, Newcastle Fringe Festival is offering a broad and brilliant range of entertainment. There's stand-up comedy shows from the likes of Liam Withnail who's bringing his show Big Strong Boy to The Lubber Fiend and Kathryn Haywood who'll be performing her comedy/magic show Magic & Sex at Alphabetti Theatre alongside theatre productions including Snakes & Ladders and A Tail for Our Future. There are electrifying dance performances from the North East Dance Project and Tyneside Irish Dance too and music gigs from North East talent Kirsty Hall at The Lubber Fiend and Eurobal with Hearken Quartet at The Newgate Social.
That's just scratching the surface though! With 110 shows taking place across the ten days, there's quite literally something for everyone - check out the full Newcastle Fringe Festival programme for details of all performances.
Is it family-friendly?
Every performance has its own age recommendation, with some for all ages and others for 18+ audiences, so it's best to check the Newcastle Fringe Festival schedule for details.
There are, however, some fantastic family-friendly festival events that kids will love like Made by Raccoons' puppetry show Tales from our Revolution at Alphabetti Theatre and the Marvelous Microbes Workshop at Dance City.
How much are tickets?
Again, prices vary depending on the performance so do check the website, but most of the events are priced at £12 (full price), £6 (concessions) and £4 ('No Questions', in line with Newcastle Fringe Festival's commitment to make culture as accessible as possible to everyone).
The phrase ‘something for everyone’ is probably overused but it’s absolutely true in the case of Newcastle Fringe Festival, which offers us everything from comedy and cabaret to theatre, music and family-friendly entertainment. Get booking and immersive yourself in one of the biggest and best arts festivals in Newcastle!
Newcastle Fringe Festival takes place from Saturday 22nd July to Saturday 2nd August 2025. For more information visit www.newcastlefringe.co.uk.
Want to be in the know about everything that’s happening in Newcastle city centre? Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.
