Dover is set to be transformed into a hotbed of experimental theatre, award-winning comedy, and lawless history as the Dover Fringe Festival returns this month. Taking over three distinct venues – the historic Maison Dieu, the Vinoteq wine bar, and the new SQ Gallery – the festival offers a packed weekend of free performances starting next Friday, May 15.
Friday Night: Lawless Tales and Silly Songs
The festivities kick off at Vinoteq on Friday night with a deep dive into the “lawless golden age” of the South Coast. Performance storyteller Alastair K Daniel will lead audiences through When The Gentlemen Go By, featuring tales of Folkestone’s infamous “Fox” and the breaking of Dover gaol. The evening continues with a lighter touch as the festival welcomes back a set of “stupid songs and senseless sonnets”.
Saturday: Award-Nominated Comedy and Pyrotechnics
Saturday’s lineup at the Maison Dieu is headlined by one of the biggest names on the fringe circuit. Tim Biglowe, an ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2025 Best Show nominee, brings his high-energy show Plonka to town, fresh from winning Best Comedy at the Shaftesbury Fringe. He is joined on the Saturday bill by Canadian stand-up Katie-Rose Petley. Known for her “fresh, filthy, and unfiltered” storytelling, Petley’s show Dirty Bitch promises an unhinged look at religion and progressive parenting that has been a hit with international audiences. For those seeking something even more riotous, Dickie Richards will close the Maison Dieu sessions with Sexual Tyrannosaur 2026, a show featuring rapid-fire one-liners and – unusually for a library-adjacent venue – pyrotechnics.
Sunday: History, Personal Stories, and a Horror Auction
The festival is not just about laughs – it’s also capturing the unique grit of Dover’s history. On Sunday, the SQ Gallery will host Mr Kemp’s Diary, a harrowing look at the first-ever ship-to-shore radio transmission between the East Goodwin Lightship and South Foreland Lighthouse in 1898. In a deeply personal turn, Sunday also features Prostate and Pinot, in which local figure Dave revisits the dual challenges of battling cancer while simultaneously trying to open a wine bar in Dover – a story of fear, hardship, and the “ruined sex life” that comes with both.
Community Performance and Finale
The town’s streets will also come alive on Saturday afternoon as the Moving Memory groups from Dover and Folkestone perform Ebb and Flow in the Market Square. This celebratory piece uses choreography to honour the journeys made and hurdles overcome by the local community. The festival concludes on Sunday night at Vinoteq with a horror-themed auction, Run. Scream. Die., followed by an “improvised surprise party” from Kent duo Twinprov, during which the audience might find themselves becoming the star of the show.
For more information about this weekend of free events, visit doverfringe.uk/events
Location: Chichester
