Buxton Festival Fringe 2026
Buxton Festival Fringe
T: 07793 886943 (Fringe Information desk during Fringe only) or Fringe Marketing Officer and general enquiries: 01298 79351.
When: 8th – 26th July 2026
Buxton Festival Fringe has released statistics showing that combined performer and audience expenditure boosted the local economy by nearly £300,000 in 2025.
The Fringe festival, which took place alongside Buxton International Festival in July, enticed audiences with an exciting programme of 186 events adding up to 444 individual performances with entrants coming from all over the UK as well as Ireland and the US.
Respondents to its audience survey were overwhelmingly enthusiastic with the average approval rating being 4.7 out of 5 – the highest ever. Celebrating its 20th year on the Fringe, Underground was once more based at The Springs but also had a brand new venue at Buxton’s Working Men’s Club on Lightwood Road. Audience members reacted positively, one respondent describing it as having “the perfect atmosphere”. Following the closure of the Green Man Gallery, Underground sold over 1,000 more tickets than in 2024 and also increased its average audience size, but the respected managed venue was far from the only show in town with 40 venues in use this July and healthy audiences across the board.
Taking into account expenditure from performers during their stay in Buxton plus audience spend on food, accommodation and ticket sales for shows by local performers, Fringe organisers have calculated an estimated boost to the local economy of £291,853. This very conservative estimate does not include the Fringe’s additional local expenditure on printing, design, merchandise and Fringe Information Desk wages.
The Fringe celebrated its 46th year in 2025 and proved as popular as ever. Audience comments included: “The Fringe goes from strength to strength”, “Theatre is back!”, “Fantastic as always” and “This is a wonderfully warm, welcoming and lovely festival, run by excellent people and with a very relaxed vibe! I LOVED it!”
58% of respondents were also attending Buxton International Festival events indicating a healthy crossover. 60% of respondents had SK postcodes with the rest coming from all over the UK and in one case Virginia, USA.
26% of audience survey respondents were attending the Fringe for the first time. There was also evidence of audience loyalty with 36% having been attending for more than 10 years! 46% of respondents saw 2-5 events with 18% attending more than 11.
Entrants were also canvassed and were overwhelmingly positive about the Fringe with comments including “Every volunteer is amazing – they work really hard at promoting events” and “It was a great experience”. One called entering the Fringe “the easiest festival process that we do” while another said “I felt supported at all points – thanks to all”. Those using Underground were also pleased, one describing the process as “pretty seamless”.
In the month of July the busy Fringe website received a new high of 1.6 million hits with the Fringe App also growing in popularity. The Fringe was busy on Facebook, Instagram and its new Bluesky account with Fringe Facebook receiving over 150,000 views during the Fringe.
Fringe Chair Ian Bowns comments: “It’s a tribute to all involved with the Fringe that we get such positive feedback. We’re conscious that those who attend enjoy the Fringe, but we’ll be looking to do more to increase participation, attendance, and to broaden the range of both performers and audiences for the future.”
The Fringe committee is grateful to anyone who filled in a survey, and plans to build on audience and entrants’ suggestions for the future including extra publicity regarding the new location of the Fringe Information Desk in the Octagon Lounge, Pavilion Gardens, more marketing of the Fringe in Spring Gardens Buxton, seeking more feedback from young people in the town, additional guidance for entrants on the website particularly regarding ticketing, and exploring networking opportunities for performers. Previous ideas that have been acted upon include creating more general Fringe posters and building up the Fringe’s team of volunteer reviewers.
More About Buxton Fringe Festival
Tickets / Booking: Please refer to the Buxton Festival Fringe website or free-to-download Buxton Fringe App for individual show times, ticket prices and bookings.
Buxton Festival Fringe began in 1980 to run concurrently with the world-renowned Buxton International Festival, with international opera and high profile literary talks at its core.
One of the biggest UK Fringes between Edinburgh and Brighton, this open-access arts festival, enjoyed its 45th year in 2024 and runs in parallel with Buxton International Festival.
Because it is one of the largest fringe events in the country, many artists use it as a preview before appearing at the Edinburgh Festival.
Events and performances take place in a variety of venues including managed venue Underground, the United Reformed Church, Buxton’s magnificent Crescent, various other smaller independent businesses and venues in Buxton, as well as unusual locations such as Poole’s Cavern and, out of town, High Peak Bookstore and Eyam Parish Church.
Full listings are available on the Fringe website and on the free to download Buxton Fringe App. During the Fringe, the Fringe Information Desk, is located in the Pavilion Gardens Octagon Lounge is open every day from 10am-5pm.
The Fringe offers every year its now famous traditional free showcase, Fringe Sunday, at the Pavilion Gardens.
This vibrant festival provides a showcase for a huge variety of performers and artists with genres including dance, drama, music, poetry, comedy, film, exhibitions, street theatre, magic and more.
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