A free live showcase in Watford town centre on 4 July will kick off the 10th Watford Fringe Festival, bringing more than 70 performances to over 20 venues throughout the month. The outdoor launch runs from 3pm to 9pm at Pondside on The Parade, with a grand stage hosting a slice of the festival’s programme following its official opening at St Mary’s Church the previous evening (3 July).
Highlights on the day include Southern Beauty, a collective fronted by Alison Wheeler of The Beautiful South, a one-man version of Every Brilliant Thing that enjoyed a Broadway revival starring Daniel Radcliffe, and flamenco artists direct from Spain. The wider festival begins formally the previous evening with Heart & Music featuring West End performer Ashleigh Fleming, and it closes on 1 and 2 August with a teen edition of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at Watford Palace Theatre.
Watford Pump House organises the fringe in partnership with Watford Borough Council, with sponsorship from Watford Town Centre. Chair Lee Farman said: “When we first floated the idea of staging a performing arts Fringe festival here in Watford we had no idea that 10 years on it would have grown into the success it is today.” Last year’s festival set records with 136 shows in 21 performance spaces and more than 5,000 tickets sold, a benchmark for this anniversary edition.
The festival operates an open-access policy with no selection criteria, encouraging both local performers and visiting talent to take part. Venues include the Pump House itself, Watford Colosseum, Watford Palace Theatre, West Herts College, Lanchester School, and St Mary’s and St John’s churches. Tickets for the full programme are available through the Watford Fringe website.
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