Countdown to the start of Delft Fringe Festival on 27 May

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Be surprised and inspired by personal stories with a laugh and a tear.

Delft, Wednesday 20 May - It is almost time! On Wednesday 27 May at 19.30, Delft Fringe Festival 2026 will open with a festive evening at Theater de Veste. With 23 companies on the festival programme this year until 7 June, there is a lot to choose from. At the premier performing arts festival for up-and-coming talent, be surprised and inspired by very personal stories with a laugh and a tear. You can get a taste of current themes and social impact. Enjoy cabaret to dance, music to theatre and everything in between. You'll find Delft Fringe Festival all over Delft's city centre, from a centuries-old windmill and the monumental Hotel Arsenaal by Westcord on Korte Geer to a charming historic business premises at Markt 83.

Tickets are on sale at delftfringefestival.co.uk.

Festive opening

During the opening, you will get to see three high-profile and promising performances, including from the winner of the Delft Fringe Festival Audience Award 2025: Collective Tender. They confront the audience in Pretty Privilege with the harsh reality of beauty ideals. In this musical theatre performance, Isa Zwart and Clé Delphi explore how the (in)visible advantage of physical attractiveness, also known as ‘pretty privilege’, affects our self-image, behaviour and social status.

The solo performance Pulling the Trigger by Daria Titova follows a soldier confronted with his own past, unable to fully face it or escape from it. This performance at the intersection of dance and physical theatre is performed by Marko Šakić.

At East, west, home away... Janne Groen takes you on her quest to (re)recognise her Indian identity. She travels to the other side of the world with the hope of filling an inner void. Can Janne fulfil her longing to connect with her father's native soil? Teaming up with guitarist Seyoum Yuno and saxophonist Wytze Minne de Swart, she openly and honestly shares her story, with all the emotions involved

Edge programming

This year, hotspot The Social Hub is once again the Delft Fringe festival heart. It is the place where you chat and share experiences after a performance or arrive after one of the Surprise Tour or Fringe Insider Tours.

On Saturday 30 May, it will be an evening to remember with the Drag Bingo and Fringe Party. The evening will be presented by the cutest queens in the prettiest outfits: Stevie Stunner and Miss Cartier. And extra fun: after the Bingo, the legendary Fringe Party starts!

Social impact

This year, themes of identity, attachment, translocation, sham connection, digitalisation, identity, war trauma and The strong social engagement will move, amaze and entertain you.

Are you getting the hang of it already? Future plays at Delft Fringe Festival from 27 May to 7 June.