Chichester Fringe opens applications for its sixth fringe festival

Published 12:34 on 13 Oct 2025

Chichester Fringe is a community organisation making the arts accessible for all. It charges no fees to take part and offers free support throughout the production process, making this fringe festival truly unique. 

Josh Bowness, director, says: Our last year's fringe was our biggest yet, selling over 1,100 tickets across 11 venues. We are determined to make Chichester Fringe 2026 our most exciting yet. Our mission is to break down barriers for up-and-coming performers, so our brand-new collaboration with Chichester Festival Theatre's performance space The Nest will provide a fantastic opportunity for the local community. We can't wait to welcome the applicants for this coming year's fringe."

Chichester Fringe will run from Saturday 30 May to Sunday 14 June 2026. 

Daniel Hill, The Nest Producer says "We're thrilled to be supporting Chichester Fringe for its 2026 festival and to open the doors of The Nest to even more emerging artists. The Nest was created to nurture bold ideas and provide a platform for fresh voices and local talent. We can't wait to see how Chichester Fringe makes the space its own and brings exciting, original work to our newest creative space."

Last year Chichester Fringe welcomed performers from all backgrounds: theatre companies, poets, comedians, singer-songwriters, musicians and many more. The first wave of applications is now open and will close on Sunday 30 November 2025 at 10pm. The second wave of applications will open and close in January 2026. The second wave is for people who didn't discover us the first time around.

Next years venues have expanded to include The Nest at Chichester Festival Theatre, Fernleigh in North Street Chichester as well as returning to our creative partnerships with Chichester Canal Cafe, One-O-Four the Hornet, The New Park Centre, the Jam Café, The Old Court Room and the Chichester City Arts Centre.

With collaboration, equity and accessibility at the heart of the fringe festival, artists will be able to showcase their work, benefiting the whole community. The Fringe enjoys the generous support of Chichester City Council.

Find out how to take part in Chichester Fringe 2026 by heading to www.chichesterfringe.co.uk/take-part.

   Image: Shh Obey! at Chichester City Arts Centre, Photographer: David Richardson