VENTNOR FRINGE Announces Extended Edition This Summer

The multi-award-winning arts festival, which features gigs, comedy and theatre in pop up venues throughout the dramatic cliff-top town on the Isle of Wight, will return for an extended 10 day edition from 23rd July - 1st August 2021.

Like it's Edinburgh inspiration at the opposite end of the UK, the event has grown organically, originally started ad-hoc by local art students in 2010. Now, a decade on, the event has become an increasingly important testing ground for artists premiering new material, and in the aftermath of the pandemic Festival Co-Director Jack Whitewood thinks 2021 could be an important year for smaller events, "We're lucky to be in a beautiful part of the world, right in the heart of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with amazing coastline that you can access within minutes of the festival's main venues. All that outdoor space alongside our intimate size gives us hope we'll get the green light to go ahead this summer and offer a really inspiring alternative to the larger metropolitan arts festivals"

Comedians Lou Sanders (Taskmaster, Travelman, QI) Geoff Norcott (Live at the Apollo, Mash Report, Mock the Week) Tez Ilyas (Tez O'Clock Show, Man Like Mobeen) and musical comedy duo Flo and Joan are among around 300 artists expected to take part in this years festival which also spans everything from RuPaul's Drag Race UK contestant Joe Black to poet Luke Wright, Burlesque Queens Tempest Rose and LoLo Brow, to family circus and Cbeebies presenter Andy Day.

The Isle of Wight is connected by more than 75 ferry crossings daily from Southampton, Portsmouth and Lymington. More events are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets are available at: vfringe.co.uk