Cork Fringe Festival promises to be a celebration of 'brave, weird and independent art'

The Cork Fringe Festival has returned for its second year, with creatives from across the city gathering for the launch of its programme at The Bodega this week.

This year’s festival, which will run over the weekend of May 8-10, will feature more than 50 performances across 15 venues, with a promise of a celebration of ‘brave, weird, and independent art.’

Organisers of Cork Fringe promise a festival that will surprise and delight, reaffirming the city’s reputation as a vibrant cultural hub.

Over the course of the Fringe Weekend, audiences will be treated to a mix of theatre, music, dance, comedy, visual art, drag, cabaret, and experimental performance, with emerging and established artists sharing stages in venues all across town.

Kicking-off the festival is Disco Infernal at The Pav hosted by DJ Candy Warhol. This follows on from Hell Night by Bjørnism, setting the scene for what the organisers promise will be an exciting weekend.

From original Cork theatre such as Alison Teahan’s The Girls Room at the Cork Theatre Collective Studio to John of Thrones, an immersive performance from comedian and storyteller John Spillane at Elizabeth Fort, this year’s programme brings together local and international artists across a range of disciplines.

International comedians — including Eryn Tett from Manchester and Chris Dupuis from Canada — join the festival, alongside encounters in the street from Carmel Clavin with Cork Liminal ensuring that audiences will discover work both on stage and unexpectedly throughout the city.

The festival is a wide and varied programme, with theatre in the form of The Pigeon Factory at The Granary, midnight storytelling from SeeThrough at Maureen’s, and a family-friendly performance in The History of Art: A Clown Show at Dance Cork Firkin Crane.

For more on ticketing and the full Cork Fringe 2026 programme, visit www.corkfringe.com or on Instagram @corkfringe.