Delft Fringe Festival 2026 festively launched

“Together with the city, the festival gives young creators a stage“

Delft, Thursday 28 May - Wednesday 27 May saw the festive opening of Delft Fringe Festival 2026 at Theater de Veste. Hosted by multidisciplinary maker in architecture, film theatre and former Delft Fringer Oudail el Omari, the evening took us past many personal stories about beauty ideals, identity and war past. It was immediately noticeable why this festival is so special: it is all about meeting, renewal and cooperation. Every year, together with its partners, the festival transforms the city into a stage for the up-and-coming talent of the future. From now until 7 June, 23 performances can be seen at more than 30 special locations. The city buzzes again. Delft Fringe Festival 2026 has really started.

Giving young creators a stage

Tamara Griffioen artistic director a.i. of Delft Fringe Festival: “We started the Delft Fringe Festival with performances by three powerful theatre makers with relevant stories, about ideals of beauty, feeling at home and facing a violent past. These performances kicked off two weeks of recognisable, hilarious and moving performances by a new generation of makers, who love to confront you with how they see and experience the world. What I find special is how we can give these stories a stage throughout and for the whole of Delft, from Cable District to the Inner City, in an eatery, a historical monument or in someone's living room. Delft Fringe Festival provides a connection between the city, organisations, audience and creator: valuable connections that create honest conversation and a good climate for experimentation.”

Three opening performances

Isa Zwart and Clé Delphi of Collective Tender had it coming in their humorous performance Pretty Privilege on the harsh reality of beauty ideals. With polyphonic vocals, saxophone, electronic beats and personal stories, they create a critical, playful yet tender musical theatre performance.

Daria Titova took us inside her created Pulling the Trigger along with the story of a soldier (performed by Marko Šakić) who is confronted with his own past, unable to fully face it or escape from it. An intense solo performance at the intersection of dance and physical theatre. 

Janne Groen took us on her quest to (re)recognise her Indian identity. Travelling to the other side of the world with the hope of filling an inner void by connecting with her father's native soil. Does reality live up to her expectations? Accompanied on saxophone by Wytze Minne de Swart, Janne fuses dance, spoken word and live music.

Connecting to the city

Frank van Vliet, alderman for Climate, Culture and Public Space of the Municipality of Delft, stressed on stage the importance of subsidies and having a stage for young creators. He also dwelt on how the performances at Delft Fringe Festival make it possible for people to meet each other, talk about it together, laugh and exchange and thus are important for the city. “It offers an opportunity to look at the world with a different perspective,” he said.” 

The makers also play their performances at special locations in Delft. As a result, audiences are not only theatrically surprised, but really go on a journey of discovery in the city centre. Discover personal stories in locations such as a 17th-century windmill to the special acoustics of a historic church. Through the festival, discover the gems of the city that breathe their own stories.