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From May 15th to the 17th, 2026, the Dover Fringe Festival is returning to bring a great selection of comedy, spoken word, music, and theatre to our local community.
The festival will take place across three distinct venues over the weekend:
- Friday, May 15th: The weekend kicks off at Vinoteq on Cannon Street.
- Saturday, May 16th: Enjoy an afternoon packed with performances at the historic Maison Dieu on Biggin Street.
- Sunday, May 17th: The final day begins around lunchtime at the Square Gallery in the Market Square, followed by a mid-afternoon run that wraps up into the evening back at Vinoteq.
A Variety of Performances The festival truly offers a wide range of shows for everyone. If you are interested in local history and storytelling, you can take in tales of South Coast smuggling with When the Gentlemen Go By or listen to harrowing entries from an 1898 sea voyage in Mr Kemp’s Diary.
For comedy fans, the lineup features stand-up from Tim Biglowe, unfiltered storytelling in Dirty Bitch, and Dickie Richards’ high-energy act, which boasts rapid-fire one-liners and even pyrotechnics.
You can also catch unique events like Run. Scream. Die., a macabre horror-comedy auction, or Crumpy and Grumpy, a returning poetry and music trio sharing poignant and topical verses about the journey to middle age.
Free Entry & How to Support One of the best parts of the Dover Fringe is that almost all the shows are free entry with a “Pay If You Want” model. While a few ticketed shows might be available at certain venues, audiences are simply encouraged to leave a tip if they enjoy the performance. You can also support the festival’s efforts through the Dover Lotto.
Find Out More To view the full schedule and sign up for email reminders, head over to doverfringe.uk You can also keep up with the latest updates by following @doverfringefestival on Facebook.
As the festival organizers say: “Shout, share, and come along. Let’s make it a good one.”
