ART WITHOUT RULES: The Bay Fringe Festival brings creative excellence to the North West

A spoken word, theatre, poetry, cabaret and comedy festival platform based in the West End of Morecambe, the Bay Fringe Festival is a product of passion and collective effort, and its founder calls it an agent of change. The Festival first began in 2017 and has only grown in popularity since then. The Bay Fringe celebrates and will be presenting its 10th programme this year from 20th July to 9th August.

An exciting programme, with a tantalising line-up of acts born right out of the Bay Network milieu, where both local and widely beloved creatives share the stage. The depth and breadth of the festival programme is a wonderful showcase of the homegrown talent carefully curated with established acts, to deliver 3 weeks of non-stop action, with 40 shows. Bringing to you 3 weeks of non-stop performances, with 40 unique shows.

I have had the opportunity to work with and learn about the Festival from its Director, Matt Panesh, who takes from his experience being involved with the International Fringe in Edinburgh and brings the fringe concept and energy to the highly deprived communities of Lancashire, furthermore, extending their programme to Carnforth this year with the assistance of Councillor Chris Smith. Created to bring culture and people together, what sets the Bay Fringe apart from other Fringe Festivals is its commitment to this inclusivity and accessibility. Panesh describes it as an agent of change. 

The Bay Fringe interrogates the past, acknowledging Morecambe's roots as a seaside cultural hub, a scene which began to dwindle and decline in the 1950’s post-war era. Panesh states, “The town had a statue of a comedian but no comedy night. A glorious performance heritage locked in memory, not in use. A community waiting for permission to feel alive again.” The Festival acts to reconnect the people of Morecambe to their history of entertainment, music, and theatre. Looking back at its carnivalesque, popular entertainment background, the Bay Fringe responds with the revival of these arts. A renaissance of our time.

It comes as a delight to have such a magnitude of talent be presented so locally, and made affordable and accessible to its audience. The Bay Fringe considers the reality of travel costs and ticket expenses, which often discourage people, especially students from attending such events, and does phenomenally at circumventing these economic hurdles. In accordance with their aims towards accessibility, presenting their audience with affordable prices for these events. 

So enjoy live music with family listening to harmonies by The Carnforth Community Choir. Or if comedy is your thing, then come along to their Comedy Crawl on the 25th and 26th of July (with 12 free entry shows!) For the film buffs, you may want to attend a screening of The Shining, where you also get a chance to chat with Kubrick’s Executive Producer, Jan Harlan. Maybe you’d like to catch an invigorating performance of spoken word or theatre, just pick and choose any of the excellent shows they have prepared for you. 

There’s a flavour for everyone, and they are truly doing it like no other. I find myself ecstatic to see all that they have to offer, now and in the years to come. The Bay Fringe Festival is definitely a programme to look out for.

Tickets are available www.skiddle.com/g/morecambe-fringe-festival

Follow the festival socials @MBfringe for tickets, updates, behind the scenes and much more.