Guide to the annual Bath Fringe Festival, England
Guide to the annual Bath Fringe Festival, England
The Bath Fringe Festival is an annual celebration of arts that is hosted in the town of Bath in England. This festival takes place during the end of May/beginning of June every year and is usually a 17-day event. The Bath Fringe Festival showcases various forms of artistic talent with over 170 events taking place across these 17 days. The art forms featured in this wonderful event range from mainstream arts to marginal arts with Stand-up Comedy being at the forefront.
The first Bath Fringe Festival began in the year 1981 and evolved from the earlier community festivals. In the past, in terms of hosting events, Bath was famous for the Bath Music Festival, which was popular only among the upper class. To balance this out, the people of Bath decided to organise the Bath Fringe Festival. This festival was designed to appeal to a larger cross-section of the population of Bath, specifically targeting the younger local crowd who did not appreciate the more classical dominated music showcased at the Bath Music Festival.
Among the various forms of art that are portrayed in this wonderful 17 day event are Cabaret, indoor theatre, digital arts, street theatre, dance, circus arts and film. The Bath Fringe Festival also has a large musical element to it that includes an eclectic mix of various forms of music like folk, world music, Latin jazz, rock and pop. Through the years, various artistes, both local and international have taken great pride in performing at this event. The most famous of these are Arthur Smith, Jeremy Hardy, Ken Campbell, Mark Thomas, Bill Bailey, Julian Clary, Rory Mcleod, Billy Childish and Howard Marks.
The Bath Fringe Festival is said to have evolved directly from the Walcot Festival, which was a popular festival in the 1970s and early 80s. Today, the Bath Fringe Festival is the largest and oldest continually operating fringe festival in the world, which is a remarkable achievement considering its humble beginnings.
The events that take place in Bath Fringe Festival are varied and targeted at the different age groups. There are many events that appeal to adults of all ages, and others directed specially at the children. Some of the most popular events at the Fringe Festival include “The Wheel Thing” which is a pedal power festival, the Bath Community Carnival, the Bedlam Street Fair and the Outdoor Arts Festival. Along with the regular events, there are other new events added every year including several theme based events as well.
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