HOW TO FRINGE!

An Insider’s Guide to the Wellington Fringe Festival

Rebecca Stirling

It's that time of year again. Boosted campaigns stalk your social feeds, posters multiply across campus, and theatre students begin materialising in your first lectures, eager—desperate, even—to tell you about their shows. Ah yes: the New Zealand Fringe Festival (just Fringe is fine) is nearly upon us. 

For one month a year, artists truly run rampant across Wellington, transforming the city into a low-level state of creative chaos. More than 150 shows will pop up in theatres, bars, basements, and any other space with a power outlet and a tolerant landlord. With the festival kicking off on February 13, here are my top tips for making the most of Fringe 2026. 

Tip 1: Get a Booklet 

The Fringe booklet is your first and most faithful companion. It tells you what’s on, where it’s happening, and—crucially—how to begin pretending you have a carefully curated cultural calendar. You can highlight shows, tick off the ones you’ve seen, and even get it signed by the artists. It’s one of the most helpful guides throughout the festival and gives you something to look back at after it’s over. 

You’ll find booklets at the Fringe Box Office on Allen Street, or in pretty much any theater that you pop your head into. Just be wary that a few shows were submitted just too late to make the print deadline, which leads us to tip number two. 

Tip 2: Check the Fringe Website 

If the booklet is your map, the Fringe website is your live GPS. This is the place to plan out what you’ll see, buy some tickets, and check whether events are still on. This is the most updated information you’ll find on every show. Bookmark it on your phone. You’ll thank yourself later, probably while standing on a street corner frantically checking whether the show you’re about to see still exists.

Tip 3: Cuba Street Fringe Summer Series 

During fringe season, the city is a pretty exciting place to be. If you’ve completed tips one & two and are still thinking, But Becca, what should I actually see? look no further than the Fringe Summer Series on Cuba Street. 

On Sunday, February 23, artists will take over Cuba Street for the Fringe Summer Series. Free taster performances from festival shows will appear all along the strip, providing bite-sized previews of what’s on offer. It’s the perfect place to see what you like and what you don’t, and there’s even a box office on site in case something really takes your fancy. 

Tip 4: Free and Koha Shows Exist! 

Want to see some incredible live shows, but don’t really have it in the budget to pay $15-$30 a ticket? Welcome to the broke student life, my friend—this is the place to look. There are some awesome free or pay-what-you-can shows in the festival this year that you are sure to love. 

This year’s offerings range from clowning (The Fools) to Shakespeare (As You Like It), bands (The Rocking Rainbows), and even comedy (Liar Liar Pants on Fire). Fringe has something for everyone, even those who spent all their money on booze during O-Week. 

Tip 5: See some international talent 

Fringe makes it possible for artists from overseas to bring their work to Aotearoa audiences. If they've gone through all this effort to get here, you may as well go and see their shows! Some highlights for me are overseas comedy acts (Booze and Craic: A Night of Scottish and Irish Comedy, or A Scottish Bald Man Sings Rhianna) and circus performances (The Fijian Flying Circus). Come and see their award-winning nonsense, it may be your only chance. 

Tip 6: Support Current Vic Theatre Students and Lecturers 

There are so many sick up-and-coming artists, producers, and creatives coming out of Victoria University, and it's so exciting to see the works they’ve created. With Fringe being an open entry festival, it really provides a space for newer creatives to experiment, create, and test their craft. 

Even our lecturers are getting involved! Our very own Dr James Wenley from the Theatre Department has created a Fringe show based on his current research, delving into Aspec lives and identities in We’re weird for other reasons. Below is a small (curated and researched, you’re welcome) selection of Fringe shows made by Vic students this year. If you can, go see them. 

● Ecz-asth-perated Fever 

● Phobia 

● Yours Truly 

● Amid the Summer’s Malice 

● As You Like It 

● New and MMMproved 

● Horizon 

● OneTwo

● The Lizards Lie Within: A Lizardmen Movie Play Musical 

● Pōneke Gangster 

● Last Straight Man on Earth 

Wellington likes to call itself the arts capital of New Zealand, but living here can make it surprisingly easy to forget to actually attend anything. Life gets busy. Uni piles up. It's hard to get involved or get along to watch performances. Fringe makes theatre accessible for new artists, but also for audiences who want to see more of the arts without needing prior knowledge, deep pockets, or an encyclopedic understanding of contemporary performance.

As someone who once had to seek out these shows on their own, I hope that this helps. And as the festival founder Vanessa Stacey puts it: Happy Fringe-ing!