The Lambeth Fringe Festival has unveiled its 2025 programme, confirming a landmark edition that celebrates its 10th anniversary with more than 200 events scheduled across the borough between 25 September and 25 October.
Now firmly rooted in South London’s cultural landscape, the festival—formerly known as the Clapham Fringe—has grown from a modest fringe showcase into one of the capital’s most dynamic platforms for emerging and underrepresented voices. This year’s anniversary edition is also its largest to date, bolstered by support from Arts Council England for the first time in its history.
Programming includes a vibrant mix of theatre, comedy, cabaret, music and family performances, delivered across 25 venues that reflect the diversity and creativity of Lambeth. New partner locations such as Arch 555 at Silly Towers, Vauxhall City Farm, Vaulty Towers and Morley College join returning venues in a borough-wide takeover that champions accessibility and artistic innovation.
Festival co-directors Velenzia Spearpoint and Rebecca Pryle described the 2025 edition as a “major milestone,” adding: “We’re thrilled to present our biggest and most ambitious programme to date… the spirit of the Fringe has always been about creativity, accessibility and grassroots energy and in 2025, that spirit is stronger than ever.”
Among the headline acts is “The Ultimate Bubble Show” (3–4 Oct), a family spectacle from Guinness World Record-holder Ray Bubbles, offering bubble volcanoes, ghosts and tornadoes in a surreal live experience. Audiences can also look forward to “Willy Witches” (8–10 Oct), a sharp-edged comedic take on four women fighting to survive the English witch hunts, and “MJ Hibbet: Data and Dr Doom” (11 Oct), a one-man musical lecture arguing why Marvel’s iconic villain surpasses Batman—backed by statistical models and stratified sampling.
Also in the line-up is “CatGPT – Feline & Ferall” (26–27 Sept), the true, absurdist tale of a man who uses AI to bring his cat back from the dead, and “Bog Body” (25 Sept & 20 Oct), a solo forensic thriller about a cursed corpse discovered in a peat bog.
From satirical burlesque like “BINCELS” (26 Sept), which parodies internet misogyny through musical drag, to political storytelling in “Mother Knows Best” (18–19 Oct)—a cross-generational examination of domestic life under oppression in Russia, South Africa and Israel—the festival continues its commitment to platforming marginalised narratives.
New initiatives introduced this year include the Lambeth Fringe Bursary, created in partnership with Morley College, which will donate all ticket proceeds from its festival programme to support students facing financial barriers to higher education. The festival is also expanding its focus on artist wellbeing, formalising a partnership with Wellbeing in the Arts and introducing The Glitch Awards to spotlight standout creative contributions.
This year’s offerings range from political satire and surrealist performance to interactive children’s theatre and AI-infused comedy, underscoring the festival’s wide remit and its continued commitment to experimental, community-driven programming. For younger audiences, mythological romp “Myths, Maps & Monsters: Zeus’ Birthday Bash!” (27–28 Sept) offers an interactive adventure to defeat Medusa and restore order to Ancient Greece. Elsewhere, shows like “A Noise Annoys” (4 Oct) explore the sonic quirks of language, and head bucket bed (13 Oct) uses dance-theatre to deconstruct the relationship between bodies and their material environment.
Now in its tenth year, the Lambeth Fringe, produced by the Bread and Roses Theatre, has evolved well beyond its origins above a Clapham pub, carving out a reputation for risk-taking and inclusion. Its ethos remains rooted in championing equality, diversity and artistic merit, welcoming both local performers and touring companies.
Tickets for the 2025 Lambeth Fringe range from £5 to £16, with events running daily across Lambeth between 25 September and 25 October. With its expanded reach, landmark programming, and a renewed commitment to social impact, the Fringe enters its second decade as a bold and vital fixture of London’s independent performance scene.
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