Vancouver Fringe Festival returns

The Vancouver Fringe Festival opens Thursday with 83 shows across 18 venues, featuring theatre, comedy, dance, drag, music and more. The festival begins Sept. 10, 2026.

Executive director Duncan Watts-Grant said 78 local artists will take part this year. The 11-day event will include 650 performances.

Watts-Grant said the festival is uncurated and does not select its acts. Its lineup is chosen by drawing names from a hat, leaving audiences unsure of what to expect.

One of the upcoming productions, TGIF, is written and produced by Centenie Narusis. The title is an acronym for “The Guys I F’d,” and the play draws on Narusis’s dating history and her path to finding her husband. It will have six performances at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island.

Love (Manipulated), written and directed by Gordon Woolvett, uses a separation as a source of creative reflection. Actress Victoria Souter described the production as fun, while TGIF co-director and actress Megan Phillips called Fringe a powerful and joyful creative space.

Watts-Grant encouraged theatre-goers to consult the program guide and choose shows that interest them. All shows cost $20 or less.