“I’ve been looking forward to saying these words for so long. Welcome to Brighton Fringe 2021!” Brighton Fringe CEO, Julian Caddy, opened the festival at Fringe City in Jubilee Square last night as we played host to action-packed event featuring circus stunts, incredible juggling skills, witty comedy, mesmerising dance and mind-blowing magic.
Following his emotional welcome to the Fringe, Julian said: “We are delighted to see the return of Brighton Fringe and for this I would like to pay tribute to the participants, venues, producers, board, staff and volunteers for their passion, dedication and resilience during these difficult times.”
The Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Alan Robins, also welcomed the return of Brighton Fringe to the city. He talked about the importance of the arts for people’s health as we emerge from lockdown, and how he prioritises the arts in his role. He signed off with a special mention to The Biscuit Barrel, a sketch comedy troupe who are, like him, from Portslade – noticing the importance of Brighton Fringe in the local community.
Following the speeches, compere for the weekend, Billie Gold welcomed on to the stage Fit Up Productions, performing for the first time in over a year, to do some daring unicycling. This was followed by a mesmerising dance from Ester Natzijl and incredible stunts and juggling from Richard Filby.
There was also delicious food from Seitan’s Jackfruit Garden and Glazed Donuts plus drinks from the lovely Brighton Gin and pop-up Dog & Duck bar.
Fringe City runs for two more days on Saturday 29 May, 12:30 – 20:00 and Sunday 30 May, 12:30 – 20:00. You can check out the full programme for both days here: https://www.brightonfringe.org/fringe-info/fringe-city/