London to Host First City-Wide Fringe Arts Festival in August 2010

By Mark Shenton
25 Nov 2009

The London Festival Fringe – a new initiative that will comprise London's first city-wide fringe arts festival – has been announced, and is due to run Aug. 6-30.

Those dates and its name put it in direct competition to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which previously announced exactly the same schedule for 2010. According to press materials, the festival is being held in August in order to offer "art and entertainment to Londoners and the large number of tourists who visit the city in the summer. In particular, London Festival Fringe allows artists and promoters living and working in London to put on shows and events to audiences on their doorsteps, at a price they can afford without earnings being eaten up by travel and accommodation costs."

According to press materials, a meeting has been held with more than 13 West End venues, some big, some small, to discuss taking part in the festival, which intends to showcase a wide variety of fringe arts from all over the world across multiple disciplines, from music, theatre and film to comedy, poetry and more.

A social networking forum called the London Fringe Club has already been established to give artists and performers the opportunity to become involved with the festival, meet one another and discuss ideas to make their shows and events happen. It is open to all, free, and no membership is required.

In a press statement, director Greg Tallent has said, "London is the world's greatest art center, drawing performers from around the globe. We want to bring together fringe artists to give audiences innovative acts in one place at one time – in every sphere, from comedy and drama to music, film and street theatre. In July 2009 we organised the London Bridge Festival, which was a great success. It's now time to bring together London's fringe scene and give it the international recognition it deserves."

For more information, visit www.londonfestivalfringe.com.