about
Our Journey
Chesham Fringe Festival 2025 in numbers:
8k+
Visitors
120+
Acts
100+
Volunteers
12
Venues
The story of the Chesham Fringe Festival
The first-ever Chesham Fringe Festival was held on 25-27 May 2024, delivering three unforgettable days of arts, culture, and entertainment. The festival attracted a diverse mix of local, national, and international talent, transforming the Buckinghamshire town into a vibrant cultural hub. Over 100 acts performed across 10 different venues, showcasing an eclectic mix of music, poetry, comedy, cabaret, and theatre for all ages.
Attendees were treated to a sneak peek of the best performances which, for many performers, served as a preview for the Edinburgh International Festival later in the year, adding an exciting edge to the event.
All venues, located within a half-mile radius of the town centre, helped foster a buzzing, communal atmosphere. From Chesham United Football Club to The Elgiva theatre – and even a disco in Market Square – the festival made excellent use of the town’s spaces.
The festival not only celebrated the arts but also fostered community spirit, with funds raised for local charities. As festival-goers enjoyed an array of performances, they also contributed to supporting local causes. The weekend was filled with laughter, creativity and a sense of togetherness, making the inaugural Chesham Fringe Festival a resounding success.
We returned in 2025, with even bigger plans for what was only our second Fringe. With an increased number of Chesham venues, we hosted over 120 fantastic acts from right across the spectrum of our genres… comedy, music, theatre, cabaret, spoken word and kids’ shows. And over 8000 people came and enjoyed one or more performances.
We upped the ante yet again for 2026 spreading out to to 14 venues across Chesham bringing over 130 acts to Chesham across the weekend! The sun shone and the whole town was buzzing.
2027, here we come…
Stay tuned!
testimonials
From performers and festival-goers
Thank You! such an amazing experience in our home town.
Was such a great evening! Thank you for the opportunity!
I think you are doing an amazing job and I thank you for putting up with me and no doubt a good number of other scatter brained creative types.
A huge well done to you and the team, it was honestly such a great experience both putting on a production as well as seeing some of the other shows on. Our performers all had such a great time and we had a lot of positive feedback.
Just wanted to say a big thank you for having us soul vibe band on fringe Festival we did have a good time we did enjoy the gig.
For a first Event it was well organised and throughout, avoiding many of the gaffs other festivals have made.
For me, the audience absolutely made my day and that was invaluable. I was delighted to perform in such a long time and my own words and work, that meant more than the buckets (Collection).