Weekend Breaks in North Devon at The Barnstaple Fringe Theatre Festival

Theatre lovers? Book holiday cottages in North Devon near Barnstaple for a memorable theatre weekend in June 2024. From Thursday, June 27th to Sunday, June 30th – in beautiful North Devon, see up to 38 different shows at Barnstaple’s impressive Fringe TheatreFest. Now in its 17th year, it’s a Fringe Theatre Festival like no other, attracting a growing audience from across the UK.

The Festival features artists and companies from throughout the UK and Europe. Now celebrating its 17th Anniversary Year, Fringe Theatre Fest venues are suitable in the heart of historic Barnstaple, all within easy walking distance of each other. They include three venues in the Queen’s Theatre, one in a converted Baptist Hall and also St Anne’s Community Arts Centre on Paternoster Row, which dates back to the 14th century - once a charnel house, then a school where John Gay, of Beggar’s Opera fame, was educated. In addition to the more traditional venue-placed performances, there are site-specific shows, too: why not take in a show that takes place in a car? Or one in Barnstaple’s famous Pannier Market? Or allow yourself to be led to a mystery venue where you’ll help solve a puzzle.

What Festival Fun Lies in Store?

The Festival is alive day and night with theatre performances of every sort - from the intimate to the epic, from comic to tragic – and all points in between. In all honesty, unless you are a fringe theatre addict, you won’t have heard of any of the Companies present, such as Self Assembly Theatre, The Last Baguette Theatre Company, Clown Noir and Third Knock Theatre (just some of the names from this year’s clutch of innovative companies). However, they represent the latest breed of performers, writers and directors making their way into the theatrical world. Somewhere in their midst are tomorrow’s household names and maybe even an Oscar Winner! See them here first, and you’ll have a tale to tell in later years.

Ticket prices are deliberately kept as low as possible so everyone can enjoy the delights the theatre offers. They range from £4 to £15. In between shows, grab a few moments to create a picnic lunch from the delicatessens, butchers, and baker's shops on Butchers Row before heading to the next venue.

Staying in a comfortable and well-equipped North Devon holiday cottage in Barnstaple or one of its surrounding villages will give you all the flexibility you need to get the most of Fringe TheatreFest whilst also enjoying other aspects of North Devon – without being tied to hotel mealtimes. The Festival runs from late afternoon on Thursday and Friday and from lunchtime on Saturday and Sunday, so there is plenty of time to make the most of all the other extraordinary delights that North Devon has to offer: wake yourselves up with a walk on a stretch of the South West Coast Path, wander along the beautiful award-winning beaches such as Saunton Sands or Woolacombe, adventure onto wild and rugged Exmoor and don’t forget to have a cream tea while you’re here.

Barnstaple’s “Hidden Gem” of a Festival

Once described as one of the ‘hidden gems’ of the fringe theatre world, the Festival no longer hides its light under a bushel: the heady buzz of festival activities permeates the town. So how to choose which shows to see? Have a look at the schedule online and book in advance. Or wait until you get here and catch 5-minute tasters of the shows on offer daily from 3-4 pm in the Barnstaple Coffee Shop. Or, wait until the Fringe Review sheet is published daily to see what the reviewers make of the shows. But best of all, come into the foyers of the theatres and listen to the buzz: ask other audience members what they’ve seen and liked. Read the comments audiences leave on Post-It notes. The fun of fringing is often trying something new - but beware: you may see many more shows than you meant to – and return again next year. That happens a lot! Experience FringeFest in Barnstaple this June, and you’ll see why.