🎭 NZ Fringe 2025: Celebrating 35 Years With 170+ Shows, 40+ Venues, Over 3 Weeks!

For 35 years, the New Zealand Fringe Festival has been the beating heart of creativity in Aotearoa, providing a stage for daring, innovative, and genre-defying performances.

In 2025, the festival marks this major milestone with its most ambitious programme yet, bringing together emerging talent, seasoned performers, and international acts for a three-week celebration of the arts.

Running from 14 February to 8 March, NZ Fringe promises a diverse, electric, and unmissable experience, spanning theatre, comedy, music, dance, cabaret, and immersive performances across Wellington’s vibrant venues and unconventional spaces.

With over 170+ events, audiences can expect an eclectic mix of theatre, dance, comedy, music, cabaret, interactive experiences, and whānau-friendly showcases across Wellington. NZ Fringe is known as the “Birthplace of Brilliance”, fostering groundbreaking performances and welcoming international talent to Aotearoa.

Fringe Programme Launch 2023 | Photo: RocTorio Photography

Festival Highlights

This year’s programme features a stellar lineup of award-winning and internationally acclaimed acts:

🎭 Nicola Brown (Dunedin Tour Ready Award winner) brings her comedy solo show “Space Invaders”, fresh from multiple award wins at Auckland and Dunedin Fringe Festivals.
🎤 Deva Mahal, renowned Indie/R&B artist, will close the festival with an unforgettable night of music at Hannah Playhouse.
💃 Gendermess Productions (Australia) presents “Messy Friends”, an award-winning drag/cabaret spectacle that captivated audiences at Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.
🎼 Louisa Williamson, accomplished saxophonist and composer, debuts her stunning adaptation, “The Chasm Where We Fall Into Each Other”.
🎙️ Duncan Greive (Founder of The Spinoff) hosts a live-recorded podcast panel, “The Spinoff Live: The Fold”, at Hannah Playhouse.
🎭 LJ Crichton returns with “Master of None: Brown Fala”, an exploration of Samoan identity through music, movement, and storytelling.
🚘 Tom Knowles introduces “CAR-A-OKE!”, a rave-style karaoke party in a van, for a one-of-a-kind audience experience.

NZ Fringe will be hosted across 40+ venues throughout the Greater Wellington Region, including iconic theatres like BATS, Circa, Te Auaha, and Hannah Playhouse, alongside outdoor and unconventional performance spaces like Zealandia, Cuba Street, and Campbell Park.

U R Back-Celeste Fontein

A Festival for Everyone

NZ Fringe is New Zealand’s largest open-access, multi-disciplinary arts festival, offering a diverse range of ticketed and free events for all ages. Festival Director Vanessa Stacey shares her excitement:

“For 35 years, New Zealand Fringe has been a hotbed of innovation, creation, and emerging talent. Many of our most notable artists got their start here, and we can’t wait to showcase another year of incredible performances. Come and witness it firsthand at the Birthplace of Brilliance!”

Tickets are on sale now at tickets.fringe.co.nz. The festival runs from 14 February – 8 March 2025. Secure your tickets and be part of this milestone celebration!