The 2025 edition of the Nanaimo Fringe Festival runs from Aug. 7-17, with shows taking place at a few venues in the downtown Nanaimo area. (Nanaimo Fringe Festival)

By Jordan Davidson

on the fringes

‘Weird, wonderful, wacky:’ Nanaimo Fringe Festival celebrates 15 years

Aug 7, 2025 | 4:50 PM

NANAIMO — The Nanaimo Fringe Festival is back in the Harbour City, celebrating a decade and a half of showcasing unique elements of the region’s robust arts and entertainment scene.

Taking place from Aug. 7-17, this year’s Fringe Festival will feature new artists, performers, and entertainers, while also looking back and acknowledging all the people who started it all.

Produced by the Pacific Coast Stage Company (PCSC), artistic producer Yvette Neuman said the variety of shows featured at Fringe is the reason they’re so popular year after year.

“Usually people like all kinds of different things for all kinds of different reasons, because it is a Fringe, and because everything is a little bit eccentric, eclectic, maybe a bit weird, wonderful, wacky, all those things make people excited in different ways.”

Performances are slated for the Port Theatre (125 Front St.) and Black Rabbit Kitchen (321 Selby St.), with 14 ticketed shows and 25 performances and workshops accessible by purchasing a $5 Fringe button.

impact funds

'Our biggest fundraiser:' Nanaimo & Oceanside Coldest Night walks aiming for $250,000

1h ago

Dominating the Eagles

Clippers win big in Surrey

9h ago

changing rooms

New dressing room under construction at Oceanside Place

Feb 22, 2026

Neuman said acts are once again chosen by a lottery; this year, however, there are exceptions to that rule, with two shows produced in-house by the PCSC.

“Tamara McCarthy, who will be leaving Fringe this year, she was doing the job that I’m doing, is directing that, and it’s called ‘Percolate’. That show has been developed with some new immigrants to Canada who we’ve been working with for the few, previous years.”

Nanaimo Fringe Festival co-founder Nicolle Nattrass will be performing a staged reading called ‘Suddenly 50’ on Sunday, a 16+ event.

Nattrass will also be hosting a workshop on wellness therapy during the festival, one of several workshops where people of all ages can see the work required to make a Fringe show take off, along with learning some cool new skills.

“We also have a wonderful puppet show happening on Saturday morning by ‘Pico’s Puppet Palace’ for kids, and we have a clowning show by Trevor Gear. Those are part of the Fringe button events, so very affordable. A family of four can come out and see one or both for $20. I don’t think you can get a better deal in town than that for some great entertainment.”

Proceeds from ticket sales go right back to the artists, with the festival funded through sponsors, grants, and proceeds from the $5 Fringe buttons. (Nanaimo Fringe Festival on Facebook)

Those two artists will also be putting on workshops during the festival, where you can learn how to juggle or master the art of puppetry.

Neuman said one of their events will pay tribute to those who started the yearly event, with a chance to hear directly from the people who brought it all together.

“(The) Fringe Founders Panel, which will be meeting with the people who founded the Fringe here in Nanaimo. We’ll talk about what makes a Fringe festival a Fringe festival, why they started it… memories that they have. Of course, I’m hoping that some people who have been part of it along the years will come and be part of the festival itself.”

Tickets for their Thursday, Aug 7 ‘sneak-a-peak’ night were sold out as of Tuesday afternoon.

More information on the 2025 Nanaimo Fringe Festival can be found at Nanaimofringe.com.

Tickets can also be purchased through the Port Theatre box office.

Subscribe to our daily news wrap. Local news delivered to your email inbox every evening. Stay up to date on everything Nanaimo and Oceanside.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook