Istanbul Fringe Festival is back with its seventh edition, bringing an explosion of bold and innovative performances to the city from September 19 to 27, 2025. Since 2019, the festival has served as a dynamic meeting point for contemporary theatre, dance, and performance art from Turkey and abroad.
This year’s program promises nine days of discovery, dialogue, and celebration, featuring over 100 artists, 23 shows, 18 venues, 5 workshops, and more. The full program, details, and tickets are now available.
An International Platform for New Voices
True to its spirit, the festival once again provides a platform for emerging and experimental artists, giving them the opportunity to present their work to international audiences. Companies and performers from ten countrie, including Belgium, France, Palestine, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Cyprus, and Slovenia, will join Turkish artists in Istanbul, turning the city into a global hub of creativity.
Spanning the City’s Stages and Spaces
Each year, Istanbul Fringe Festival expands into new corners of the city, inviting audiences to explore diverse venues. For 2025, performances will take place in spaces as varied as Kadıköy Municipality’s Alan Kadıköy, Paribu Art, TheraPera, BarınHan, Komünite, Arter, Üsküdar Municipality’s Bağlarbaşı Cultural Center, ENKA Auditorium, Kadıköy Cinema, Zorlu PSM %100 Studio, and more. From cultural institutions and experimental stages to cinemas and night venues, the festival thrives on diversity and accessibility.
Highlights of the 2025 Program
The full program is available online via the official Fringe Festival website. The festivities kick off on September 19 at Alan Kadıköy with “Fringe Shorts,” presenting The World Behind and PE**E*, followed by the official opening party.
Alan Kadıköy will also host several headline productions throughout the week, including Nostalgia, Last Things Remaining, Habemus Naufragium, and Goodbye Beaches.
Paribu Art will feature asses.masses (September 20–21), a groundbreaking project combining live theatre and video game mechanics in an immersive exploration of labor, technology, and revolution. Meanwhile, performances such as Zuhal at TheraPera, Bir de Ben and How Now Becomes Then at Atölye 5554, and Hangi Yıldayız Biz? by Reka Collective at Dam will highlight the range of Turkish contemporary performance.
International contributions include Slovenia’s Plesni Teater Ljubljana with 2GETHER/AL(L)ONE at Arter, Spain’s To Be SHOW at Komünite, France’s Compagnie Boukousou presenting MASONN at Zorlu PSM, and Switzerland’s Johanna Heusser with Valse, Valse, Valse at ENKA Auditorium. Other highlights include Secret Third Collective’s interactive walk What to Say? through Cihangir’s streets, as well as cross-disciplinary explorations like ROTA at BarınHan and Gay Turist at Kadıköy Cinema.
Workshops will add to the festival’s participatory spirit, from dance labs and Dabke classes to collective movement explorations. The closing day on September 27 will feature Kaçak Çay Saati, a co-production with Moussem.
Tickets and Access
Festival passes are now available via tiyatrolar.com.tr, including student ticketing options and other promotions, so act fast.
About Istanbul Fringe Festival
The term “Fringe” dates back to 1947, when eight theatre groups, excluded from the official Edinburgh International Festival, staged their shows on the “fringe.” Today, fringe festivals are celebrated around the world, bringing together more than 170,000 artists across 60,000 events annually. The Istanbul Fringe Festival, founded in 2019, quickly established itself as one of Turkey’s most vibrant contemporary arts platforms. Over six editions, it has hosted more than 550 artists, 120 performances, 50 workshops, and reached audiences of nearly 50,000.
By bridging local and international voices and embracing theatre, dance, performance, and interdisciplinary work, Istanbul Fringe Festival invites audiences to challenge boundaries, discover the unexpected, and celebrate creativity in the heart of a city that thrives on diversity.
For more information, be sure to follow the official website and Instagram. Tickets are available via tiyatrolar.com.tr.
