Lambeth Fringe returns for 2026 with over 200 shows across South London
by Best of Theatre Staff on Monday 20 July 2026, 11:35 am in Upcoming and New Shows
The Lambeth Fringe returns for its 11th year with a first wave of more than 200 theatre, comedy, cabaret, music and family shows across 28 South London venues, running from 24 September to 25 October 2026.
The Lambeth Fringe has announced the first wave of its 2026 programme, with more than 200 shows spanning theatre, comedy, cabaret, music and family events. Now in its 11th year, the festival runs from 24 September to 25 October across venues throughout South London, continuing its mission to champion emerging and underrepresented artists and to showcase the culture and community of Lambeth.
This year the festival grows to 28 participating venues, taking in theatres, comedy clubs, libraries, music venues and accessible community spaces. New additions include South London Theatre, the music venues Off the Cuff and Toulouse Lautrec, and a new partnership with Lambeth Libraries.
Theatre highlights include How To Direct A Funeral, opening at the Bread & Roses Theatre (2 Oct) before returning at St Stephen's Chapel, West Norwood Cemetery (23 Oct), and the international solo performance Los años maravillosos: Archive, Image and Collapse (24 Sept), which explores the construction and collapse of identity through image, memory and archival material. Family audiences can catch The Untold Fable of Fritz (3 & 4 Oct), inspired by Philip Pullman's short story Clockwork, at the Bread & Roses Theatre.
Comedy and cabaret run throughout the month, from the stand-up show Double Fantasy: A Stand Up Comedy Show (1 Oct at The Sparrowhawk, 22 Oct at Effra Social) to the feel-good cabaret Happy Heart - The Songs of Andy Williams (17 Oct) at Toulouse Lautrec. Other picks include Sex, Drugs and DnB (3 Oct) at Lower Marsh Arts Club, a reflection on years of illegal raves and recovery, and the satirical HR at the Bomb Factory (17 Oct) at Calder Bookshop & Theatre.
Younger audiences are well served too, with The Ultimate Bubble Show (9 Oct) at Longfield Hall and the interactive game-show parody Cornershop Showdown (9 Oct) at Teahouse Theatre, while the music programme features acoustic performer Floë Brown (27 Sept) at Off the Cuff and the viola piece Tessellatum (21 Oct) at Central Film School.
"We're thrilled to see the Lambeth Fringe continue to grow, with 28 venues and over 200 different events bringing creativity and live performance to communities across Lambeth. We're proud to be supporting such a diverse range of artists and companies, from emerging voices to established performers, and to continue creating opportunities for innovative and accessible work to reach new audiences," said festival directors Velenzia Spearpoint and Rebecca Pryle.
The Lambeth Fringe is produced by the team behind the award-winning Bread & Roses Theatre, a 50-seat fringe venue above The Bread & Roses Pub in Clapham. Running from 24 September to 25 October 2026 at various venues across Lambeth, ticket prices range from Pay What You Can to between £3 and £20.