Booking To Perform At Shaftesbury Fringe 2026

Registration is now open for this year’s Fringe, so what do you need to do to bring your wonderful act to the hordes of expectant Fringe 2026 visitors in Shaftesbury?

You might first want to read General Information for Performers to get an overview of how the Fringe operates, then return here.

We are setting a limit of six showings of the same performance again this year. We found that repeated shows actually led to lower audience numbers. We also feel that, with more and more performers looking to come to Shaftesbury Fringe and a limited number of venues, it is important to give as many different shows space as possible.
Please do not book more than 6 shows to avoid the inconvenience to venues and us of cancelling the extra performances.

1. Select the venue(s) where you would like to perform

• Brief summaries of the available venues can be found at Venues 2026 A-P and Venues 2026 Q-Z.
• We recommend that you download the performers’ pack containing full information for all venues – this includes a detailed description, suggested types of performance, full contact details, venue availability, details of the performer and audience areas, facilities available, any hire charges and more. It also includes booking and registration instructions and a link to the venue map.

If, after consulting all this information,  you would like further advice on suitable venues, please send a performer enquiry and one of the team will get back to you.

2. Contact the venue(s) directly to organise your show(s)

Organise your show directly with the venue.
When contacting the venue, here are some of the things to discuss:

• The type of your show, and whether the venue thinks it is suitable for them
• Confirm the date and time you will perform, and the length of your show
• Does the performance area fit with your requirements? 
• If you require sound, lighting or other equipment, can the venue provide this for you, or do you need to make your own arrangements?
• Is the audience capacity what you are expecting?
• Financial arrangements for your show:
  • Does the venue have a charge for its use, or will they be paying you to perform?
    In either case, we recommend that the financial agreement between venue and performer be agreed in writing, well in advance, to protect both parties.
  • Will you charge for entry, or Pass The Hat at the end (this is the most popular but it’s entirely up to you)
  • Will you want to sell advance tickets for the show and/or sell tickets on the door?
    • Can the venue do this for you (do they make a charge / what percentage of takings do you receive?)
    • If you wish to sell tickets in advance yourself, your options include Ticketsource, Ticket Tailor and EventBrite (note that we are not associated with any of these and other sellers are available!)
    • Check with the venue for audience capacity and set the number of available tickets.
    • Remember to have someone on the door to check tickets.

Please also note that some of the venues are ongoing businesses, so please be patient if they cannot respond immediately to your enquiry.

3. Register your show(s) (but only after confirmation with the venue(s))

Registration is £15 per show and only takes a few minutes to fill in the form. 

Why do I have to pay a registration fee?

By registering:

• Your show details will be included in the Fringe app, the printed programme and online listings, plus inclusion in our social media and other press channels.
• You will be given access to a dedicated performers’ webpage, which will be updated with the latest news before and during Fringe.
• You will receive an Asset Kit, covering all aspects of Fringe, including suggestions on charging for your show(s), publicising them, advice on producing posters, and Fringe logos to use on your posters and social media.
• We put up posters you send us on our “Fringebury Towers” at prominent positions in the town. 
• Inclusion in a performers’ WhatsApp group.
• Email newsletter updates

The registration deadline for inclusion in the printed programme is 31 May 2026, but registration will remain open afterwards.
Shows registered after this date will still be included in the app and on the website, and give access to all the other benefits listed above.