Dublin Fringe Festival 2020: Pilot Light Edition is a wrap!
Dublin Fringe Festival 2020: Pilot Light Edition has now come to an end.
The mission from the outset was clear. To set the stage for artists to innovate for the times. To share the work of the valiant and visionary artists who saw the possibility in the parameters. To let experimental performance and voices that defy the mainstream to lead the way.
The Fringe team here at Sycamore Street feel privileged to have been able to deliver a festival and bring audiences and artists back together for 16 days and nights. This was possible because of the fortitude and creativity of the artists; the support and collaboration of the community of venues, institutions, organisations and programming partners who worked side-by-side with us, and the adaptability and positivity of our intrepid audience and loyal supporters.
Dublin Fringe Festival would never be possible, in any year, without the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaion, Dublin City Council and our principal patron, Ballymore. We’re especially grateful for their support through the challenges and changes of 2020.
Dublin Fringe Festival 2020: Pilot Light Edition delivered a festival of 90+ events in venues, on the street, on the line and in-print, enjoyed by more than 6000 people and made by 130+ artists and arts workers. Dublin Fringe Festival spanned beyond the city and had a presence in Paris, New York, London, Belfast, Galway, Limerick and Cork – we even reached the Aran Islands! All over the country, we collected raindrops, sowed meadows, shared secrets, drank raw eggs, laughed and cried together.
The programme engaged with the moment and forecasted the future, with projects dealing with themes of uncertainty, ecology and climate change, the role of the media, safety and policing, feminism, ageism and activism. From lip synch virtuosos, to rallying manifestos, with wipe-clean party hats and take-away kazoos, on stages filled with slime and papier maché rat royalty, the festival felt as Fringe-y as ever.
Live performance and art experiences are precious in 2020. We’re grateful for every second we spent in a new world made by an artist this September.
#SaveTheArts #KeepHerLit
What they said:
“Despite the grievous challenges facing arts festivals and audiences this year, the Dublin Fringe Festival has managed to create an intriguing programme of work that engages audiences across numerous platforms, both digital and live. Especially exciting is the environmental thread running through a selection of work… […] between physical distancing and short runs, Fringe shows have never been so much in demand” – Sunday Business Post
“Theatrical energy is undimmed at the fightback fringe festival” – Irish Independent
“For 26 years, Dublin Fringe Festival has provided razor-sharp social commentary, and 2020: Pilot Light Edition promises to be no different, presenting a collision of performances tailor-made for our world as it is now.” – Sunday Business Post
“Making lemonade in a year of lemons […] Fringe Festival director Ruth McGowan hopes the event will show the arts are not a luxury item amid a pandemic” – Irish Times
“Dublin Fringe Festival will be a very welcome dose of the arts for performers and audiences in Dublin, whether you’ll be taking part at home or in one of the venues across the city”. – District Magazine
“This is the area of similarity between this year’s slimmed down Fringe and previous versions: it is about pushing boundaries (safely), about imagination, about new kinds of performance, and new ways of thinking – the same as every year” – Irish Times