The multi-award-winning arts festival, which features gigs, comedy and theatre in pop up venues throughout the dramatic cliff-top town of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, will return for an extended 10 day edition from 23rd July - 1st August 2021.
Like it’s Edinburgh inspiration at the opposite end of the UK, the event has grown organically, originally started ad-hoc by local students in 2010. Now, a decade on, the event has become an increasingly important testing ground for artists premiering new material, with the likes of Lou Sanders (Taskmaster, Travelman, QI) Geoff Norcott (Live at the Apollo, Mash Report, Mock the Week) Tez Ilyas (Tez O’Clock Show, Man Like Mobeen) and musical comedy duo Flo and Joan all making the trip to the Island.
Most comedy shows are centred around the ‘Parkside’ area of the festival where a new Comedy & Cabaret Tent will feature previews of new work from Gráinne Maguire, Lily Phillips, Ray Badran and Andy Field among many others.
Fans of mixed bills should check out the Late Night Comedy Show which runs throughout the event as well as Pick of The Fringe, hosted by two time Edinburgh Comedy Awards nominee Ahir Shah, and featuring special guests including Catherine Bohart, Glenn Moore and Garrett Millerick.
The Isle of Wight is connected by more than 75 ferry crossings daily from Southampton, Portsmouth and Lymington. Set in the heart of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the festival offers a great base from which to explore the surrounding coastline.
