[T]his year’s Carlisle Fringe Festival has been branded a “huge success so far” by event organisers Electric Theatre Workshop.
The festival is proving to be bigger and better than in its inaugural year, with more than 30,000 visitors having already attended the mix of both free and paid for events staged across the city over the 11 days.
The vibrant urban extravaganza of outdoor performance, comedy and street theatre got off to a flying start quite literally, as street performer The Urban Astronaut took to the skies and wowed audiences by soaring 20 metres above the city centre.
Graham Main, Producer of Carlisle Fringe Festival, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled at how the Fringe Festival has taken off this year. It’s been a huge success so far and the people of Carlisle have really grabbed hold of the idea and completely embraced it.”
Carlisle’s newest programme of theatre, music, comedy and cabaret opened with the world premiere of Champagne Supernova – an international cabaret performance by the producers of the renowned Le Haggis Cabaret.
The fringe also saw a fresh and reinvigorated Pageant Day as tables were spread throughout the city centre and families joined together for a dazzling 1950’s style street party and parade adorned with a sea of community made flags created at a number of fun and crafty social community workshops in the run up to the day.
Other programme highlights enjoyed included, popular comedian Kelly Convey and Edinburgh Fringe indie theatre legends Ridiculusmus.
The festival atmosphere hasn’t subsided just yet as the popular Carlisle Fringe is still set to host both the Patchwork Opera – a group of writers, musicians and visual artists drawn from Speakeasy, Wigton Writers Tolivar Productions, and their friends – and the return of the Carlisle International Market with an array of gifts, flavours and aromas from all over continental Europe set to take over the city centre.
Cllr Anne Quilter, Portfolio holder for Culture, Heritage and Leisure for Carlisle City Council, said: “We are proud to have been able to deliver such an eclectic mix of events to the people of Carlisle, the first few weeks of this year’s Carlisle Fringe Festival have been fantastic and we hope that it will continue to grow even further next year.”
For more information please visit: www.carlislefringe.co.uk
