Performing arts festivals to enjoy this summer

It is officially festival season!

Up and down the country, people will be packing their tents and sleeping bags, singing to chart-topping music hits, but in most instances, away from the main stages, there are theatrical treasures to be discovered. Additionally, there are dedicated performing arts and fringe festivals devoted to giving a platform to emerging artists.

Already kicking off the season have been Breakin’ Convention, Brighton Fringe, Norfolk and Norwich Festival, and Nevill Holt Festival, which reminds us to mark our calendars so as not to miss out next year. Next year also marks the return of Manchester International Festival (MIF) and LIFT, this time at its new home in Battersea, and the legendary Glastonbury.

Here are our picks of performing arts festivals to attend this summer.

FUSE International

FUSE returns this summer, offering an array of performing arts from artists aged five to 30! New work highlights include Hannah Whitfield’s Rulebook to Society, a raw autobiographical musical blending spoken word, alt-pop and theatre to chart a neurodivergent young woman’s navigation of school and mental health services, as well as Instinct Pictures’ There Is Rice at Home, an exploration of grief and friendship and Wild Guess’s if not this then that, which examines paralysis and power in contemporary society.

Kingston-upon-Thames, 26 June to 5 July

Nottingham Puppet Festival

It does what it says on the tin! The city will come alive with the magic of puppetry, with workshops, free events and film screenings.

Nottingham, 27 June to 5 July

Greater Manchester Fringe

Over 15 venues will house new and upcoming local talent as well as visitors from all over the world. The community-led festival has some very eye-catching titles on its bill, including The Probability of a Dog Becoming a Receptionist. We wonder!

Manchester, 1 to 30 July

Latitude

Celebrating its 20th edition, Latitude will see musical performances from the likes of WhatsOnStage Award nominee Self Esteem, Lewis Capaldi, David Byrne, and Teddy Swims on the main stage. In addition, festival-goers can expect live podcasts, dance, literature, poetry, wellness, and theatre, in the form of improv by Comedy Store Players, dance from BalletBoyz, and a preview of Circus Zambia and Wake the Beast’s Afronauts. In their dedicated Theatre Arena, a collaboration between playwright Vivienne Franzmann and choreographer-psychotherapist Frauke Requardt examines a meltdown in a coffee shop in Anatomy of Survival.

Henham Park, Suffolk, 23 to 26 July

Camp Bestival

Campers at Bestival can enjoy a detour to the beach as Hikapee Theatre’s newest circus show, Everywhere’s a Beach, plays out on a giant revolving beach parasol! Elsewhere, Caspian the crab has broken free from the beach during a storm in an interactive show packed with original music. There is also a tribute to Wicked star Ariana Grande, who is set to make her West End debut next year, and family-friendly roaming theatre from Shakespeare’s Globe and Thingumajig Theatre.

Lulworth Castle, Dorset, 30 July to 2 August

Wilderness

Described as a four-day party filled with “escapism, high jinks, and wholesome hedonism,” there is an entire programme dedicated to arts and participation. This year, guests can enjoy drag kings, clowns, puppetry and even an Olivier Award winner – Maimuna Memon‘s Manic Street Creature is there.

Conbury Park, Oxfordshire, 30 July to 2 August

Edinburgh International Festival

Under the theme of “All Rise”, this year’s festival is a rallying cry to artists and audiences to see each other more truthfully and more tolerantly. The programme marks the 250th anniversary of American independence and includes the festival’s largest number of American artists to date. Across 24 days there will be 147 performances spanning opera, theatre, music and dance, including five world premieres and ten works commissioned by the festival. Find out more here!

Edinburgh, 7 to 30 August

Camden Fringe

Now in its 20th year, Camden Fringe is expecting to stage over 400 shows across 33 different venues. Expect theatre, comedy, music, opera, improv, dance, and even game shows! Each year, audiences are given the opportunity to support local venues like Hen and Chickens and Etcetra Theatre, and discover a new gem.

Camden, 3 to 30 August

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Well, this festival needs no introduction to you, our WhatsOnStage readers! It’s the world’s largest performing arts festival and our dedicated guide is here.

Across Edinburgh, 7 to 31 August

Ventnor Fringe Festival

Alongside its ticketed events, of which there are over 130, covering new plays, comedy, and stand-up in the Fringe Village, everybody can enjoy buskers and street theatre for free. In fact, you can wander around the entire island and find pop-up art installations and more.

Isle of Wight, 17 to 26 July

Greenwich + Docklands International Festival

Affectionately known as GDIF, the free outdoor arts festival will present more than 25 companies from the UK and around the world in a programme of theatre, dance, circus and installations inspired by the theme “We Move”. The 2026 line-up includes three world premieres, five UK premieres and ten London premieres, building on the festival’s 30th anniversary celebrations in 2025. Find out more here.

Across Greenwich, Newham, Thamesmead, Stratford, Romford and Barking, 21 August to 6 September

Greenbelt

Striving for and dreaming up a better world, Greenbelt’s performing arts offerings include dance theatre, acrobatics, comedy plays, spoken word, and more.

Boughton House, 27 to 30 August

Twisted Roots Festival

A new initiative from New Earth Theatre, Twisted Roots Festival is dedicated to showcasing new work from its 30th Anniversary Seedfund Artists Incubator programme. Platforming innovation and celebrating British East and Southeast Asian (BESEA) heritage, it takes a fresh approach to promoting ESEA culture as a living, vivid and ever-transforming tapestry. Expect Filipino dance, Rakugo comedy, Chinese street puppetry and more.

At the Bush Theatre from 3 to 4 September, and Sheffield Theatres from 9 to 10 September