Bran Don Law at the Fringe Festival

The Vancouver Fringe Festival is a performing arts festival. It takes place at theatres and other venues on Granville Island and around Vancouver in September.

In 2024 the festival runs from September 5th until the 15th. This year is the 40th anniversary of the Vancouver Fringe!

Unrelated to the Fringe, other shows and theatre happening this month elsewhere in Vancouver include Twelfth Night, Hamlet, the Comedy of Errors and Measure for Measure at Bard on the Beach until September 20th or 21st. There is also The Play That Goes Wrong at Metro Theatre (September 13th to October 5th), a Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic Queen tribute concert at the Rio Theatre (September 19th), live comedy at The Improv Centre on Granville Island, and the Vancouver International Film Festival at various venues (September 26th to October 6th).

To learn about the above and other events, see our September Calendar or article about Vancouver Shows & Entertainment. To learn about the 2024 Fringe Festival, continue reading.

The Vancouver Fringe Theatre Festival

The Vancouver Fringe Festival is a multi-day event showcasing a wide range of theatrical works. It’s hosted by the Vancouver Fringe Theatre Society which is a non-profit charitable organization. The organization’s mission is to produce “Theatre for Everyone.”

In this article you’ll find information about the following topics:

Click on any of the above links, or scroll down for all the information.

About the Vancouver Fringe

The Vancouver Fringe Festival, or early variations of it, has been running since the mid-1980s. Today the festival involves hundreds of volunteers and performances, and tens of thousands of attendees each year.

At the Vancouver Fringe “everyone is welcome.” This applies to both audience members and performers.

The selection process for performances involves drawing names out of a hat and giving all applying artists an equal chance to participate. This means actors and their shows range from fairly novice to professional, and from semi-questionable to exceptional.

The quality of the average show at the Vancouver Fringe is surprisingly high. This is evident by the fact that the festival is frequently voted the city’s top arts festival by the Georgia Straight newspaper.

If you go to a Fringe Festival performance, you’ll likely be impressed and have a fabulous time!

Obit Play at Vancouver Fringe Festival — Fringe Performer on Performance Works Stage

Fringe Admission Prices

Admission to Fringe Festival shows is very reasonably-priced. This is great and keeps the event accessible.

Regular Ticket Prices

Regular tickets for Vancouver Fringe Festival shows start at about $15 each. Organizers encourage everyone to book online.

Fringe Membership Fees

In addition to the ticket price for each performance, attendees need to purchase a membership to the Vancouver Fringe Theatre Society. The cost of a membership is $10 and is valid for the entire 2024 season. This is a very reasonable price which helps to offset the costs of the festival.

Important Note: You must present your Fringe Membership at each performance. Failure to do so requires the purchase of an additional Fringe Membership for $10.

For tickets and full details about the shows, see the Vancouver Fringe Festival‘s website.

Special Rates

Fringe tickets are sometimes obtainable even cheaper than normal in the form of Multi-Buy passes. They are for people who love theatre and want to attend multiple shows. They usually come in groups of five, 10 and 25 shows, are available in limited quantities and frequently sell out.

2023 Multi-Buy rates were as follows. 2024 details are to be confirmed.

Five Show Pass – $68
10 Show Pass – $132
25 Show Pass – $320

For tickets and full details about the shows, visit vancouverfringe.com.

2021 Fringe Festival — 2021 Festival Shows and Actors

Vancouver Fringe Shows

The Vancouver Fringe Festival typically features a hundred or so different productions offering as many as 700 performances each season. Each show is different, with some featuring a single actor or actress. Others have casts of over a dozen people plus support folks in the background.

Fringe Festival productions include musicals, stand-up comics, serious subject matter, slapstick, storytelling, dark comedy, dance and all kinds of creativity. Some are political, some touch on serious topics and some are just pleasantly silly.

Paranormal at the Fringe Festival — Paranormal in 2023

The 2024 Lineup

Below is a list of a dozen shows running in 2024. These are not even close to all of the shows (there are more than 70 to choose from). It’s just a sample.

Brunch: A Comedy Show – a sketch show with feminist humour written and directed by Vancouver-based Kerri Donaldson and Allie Entwistle (at Revue Stage).
Every Feeling – Chris and Pete perform a musical sketch comedy show all about life (at Arts Umbrella).
Fringe4All – a one-day special event on September 4th that features a quick preview of artists performing in this year’s festival (at Performance Works).
The Light Bringer – a one-woman show about Laila Lee and her experiences as a Muslim in the southern region of America (at The NEST).
Sheila! The Musical – a production with a satirical edge about a drag housewife and gender roles (at Arts Umbrella).
A Storytelling Hip-Hop Experience – presented by B The Wiz, this show includes music with a positive message (at Waterfront Theatre).

For the full list of shows and more details, visit vancouverfringe.com.

Fringe Festival Tips & Advice

Below are some tips to help you make the most of your Fringe theatre choices.

TIP #1: To learn about each show, check the Festival Guide on the Vancouver Fringe website. It lists times, venues, show lengths and descriptions.

TIP #2: Read the show descriptions carefully. Words like “weird,” “LGBTQ+,” “intense,” “18+,” “family-friendly,” “poetic,” “intellectual,” “violent content” and “silly” are good indicators of what to expect.

TIP #3: When you go to a performance ask the people around you if they’ve seen any other shows and what they recommend.

TIP #4: Recognize that everyone is different and what’s entertaining or impressive theatre for some isn’t necessarily for others. At the Fringe Festival there is definitely something for everyone!

Vancouver Fringe Festival Bar — Fringe Festival Bar

About Fringe Theatre

Fringe Theatre takes place around the world and performances it features are, by definition, “on the fringe.” This means they are “alternative” and not what you’d normally find on Broadway. The theatre productions at the festival are generally of high quality, but not infrequently with experimental or “unique” subject matter or style.

The world’s largest and original Fringe Festival is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland which has been running since 1947.

In Canada there are around 24 different Fringe Festivals across the country running between late May and mid-September. Quebec’s Festival St-Ambroise Fringe de Montréal typically hosts the first festival of the season each year and Vancouver hosts the last.

Some theatre groups participate in multiple Fringe Festivals and tour the country with their productions, and others just perform in their home towns.

Vancouver Fringe Video

Below is a short video showcasing some of the sights and scenes of the Vancouver Fringe Festival from 2019.

Actors featured in the above video include performers from the shows Bushel and Peck, Szeretlek: A Hungarian Love Story, Beaver Dreams, Blue River Blues, Draining the Swamp, and Bombay Black. Others featured are OBIT: A Deathly Serious Comedy, The Adventures of Rocketman and Beano, Interstellar Elder, Stupid Cupid, I Am for You, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Good Game in “Gung Ho!,” Brain Machine and ‘Tween Earth and Sky.

Vancouver Fringe Venues

Vancouver Fringe Festival performances take place at a number of different venues. Most are on Granville Island, but a few are in other areas around downtown Vancouver.

Some theatres and venues participating in the Vancouver Fringe Festival this year are listed below.

Arts Umbrella – an education centre for young artists with a 132-seat theatre at 1400 Johnston Street.
Performance Works – a 200-seat theatre and multi-purpose venue at 1218 Cartwright Street.
Revue Stage – at 198-seat theatre at 1601 Johnston Street (which is the same street as the Granville Island Public Market).
Ron Basford Park – located at 1218 Cartwright Street (right next to Performance Works), with an ampitheatre used for various performances.
Picnic Pavillion – an outdoor public picnic area at 267 Old Bridge Walk.
The NEST – a “black-box” 50- to 100-seat performance and multi-purpose hall at 1398 Cartwright Street.
Waterfront Theatre – a 224-seat theatre at 1412 Cartwright Street.

More Tips & Advice

Below is a list of additional suggestions and information that will help audience members make the most of their Vancouver Fringe Festival experiences.

TIP #1: Tickets are available at the door, but many shows do sell out, especially the most popular ones and half-price shows. Buy your tickets early!

TIP #2: Don’t forget your Fringe Membership card. You’ll need it for every performance (unless you want to donate an additional $10 to the festival for a second membership).

TIP #3: Out of respect for the actors and other audience members, be sure to arrive in plenty of time to find parking and get settled well before the show begins.

TIP #4: On or around the first night of the festival, there’s the “Fringe-For-All” opening night event where about 40% of so of the festival’s performances each have a two-minute opportunity to present their shows. The event is an excellent opportunity to get a taste of the Fringe and to decide which shows you’d like to see in full version.