Out There Fringe Fest’26 is a 4-week feast of queer arts and culture, taking place September to October. And this year’s festival is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
The festival combines a mix of LGBTQIA+ performances and community events to form a unique, interdisciplinary programme, spanning theatre, cabaret, music, open mic, art, creative workshops, and more.
Developed by a team of experienced cultural producers and community practitioners, Out There Fringe Fest’26 returns after the hugely successful 2024 festival, which garnered 1,300 attendees, 40 events and 50+ practitioners, and won the award for Exeter Community Champion 2025.
The festival brings national talent to the South West while honouring the region’s local artists, performers and creatives, upholding Exeter’s reputation as a leading city of culture.
The festival concludes with an unforgettable EXTRAVAGANZA Club Night, starring the one and only Danny Beard: one of the UK’s best-known drag performers, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 4 and runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother 2025. Joining Danny is breakthrough Harrison, the DJ behind the viral rework of "All The Things She Said", which spent six weeks at number one on Spotify’s Viral Chart worldwide and has amassed more than 750 million streams following its feature in the hit TV show Heated Rivalry. Tickets for EXTRAVAGANZA are on sale now.
Out There Fringe Fest is shaped by vital community feedback to ensure it remains inclusive and accessible to all. National Lottery funding ensures we have BSL interpretation at selected events. Plus, the team are working closely with some of Exeter’s best cultural venues such as Exeter Phoenix, Exeter Northcott and Barnfield Theatre to prioritise affordable ticket pricing.
Click here to see the full 2026 programme.
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About Fringe Fest
The inaugural festival, proudly presented by Out There Together, took place from September 20th to October 6th, 2024, celebrating queer culture, creativity, and community. Out There Fringe Fest was the South West's first queer fringe festival, bringing together national and local talents. The festival showcased an mix of performances, workshops, and events, spanning drag, cabaret, theatre, and more. It amplified queer voices and provided a platform for emerging artists to offer performance, thought-provoking discussions and an unforgettable Extravaganza club night featuring Bimini. Out There Fringe Fest is a true celebration of self-expression and pride in all its forms.
You can review our 2024 Post-Festival Report to read about the festival's achievements and to celebrate the incredible people whose passion, creativity, and hard work brought Out There Fringe Fest to life. To request a downloadable PDF version of this report, please email us at hello@outthere.org.uk.
Check out our Gallery to see highlights from Out There Fringe Fest 2024 and our other community events!
