The Vancouver Fringe Theatre Society announced programming for the 40th annual Vancouver Fringe Festival – running across Granville Island over 12 days from September 4 to 15, 2024.

photo: Giullia Sampaio
The 2024 Festival features more than 500 performances of 74 different artistic companies across 18 venues, with performers from Canada, the US, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand participating. The Festival also offers free nightly music and entertainment in the Fringe Bar, located at the Ocean Artworks Pavilion on Granville Island.
“This year marks 40 years of independent and emerging artists performing on Vancouver Fringe Festival stages,” says Duncan Watts-Grant, Executive Director of the Vancouver Fringe Theatre Society. “This year, we’re here to celebrate artists taking risks and showcasing their work to us. These performers leave us entertained, moved and always for the better by inviting us to experience their scripts, music, magic, or dance. This year, we’re here to mark and celebrate the past 40 years and the future 40-plus years for the Vancouver Fringe Festival.”
“This past spring, the Festival received incredible support from our community of artists, volunteers, and donors. With great gratitude to our supporters, the 2024 Vancouver Fringe Festival will be even bigger than we expected or even planned, with more programming and performances than we’ve ever offered across Granville Island venues,” Watts-Grant adds.
“We are thrilled to once again be hosting our fantastic partners, the Vancouver Fringe Festival, here on Granville Island!” said Tom Lancaster, General Manager for Granville Island. “After 40 years, Fringe is now happening entirely here on the Island, and we could not be happier. As the presenting sponsor of the Vancouver Fringe Festival, CMHC-Granville Island is committed to supporting independent artists. It is the power of accessibility that makes the Fringe Festival such a critical aspect of artistic expression, and we are so appreciative of everything Vancouver Fringe brings to our city and to the Island.”

Features of the 2024 Vancouver Fringe Festival include:
Vancouver Fringe Festival 2024 Performances, (Granville Island)
At venues across Granville Island, the 2024 Vancouver Fringe features 74 artistic companies, including flamenco dance with Jhoely Triana Flamenco Arboles (Trees), magic and storytelling from Keith Brown (Absolute Magic), Filipina comedian Alia Ceniza Rasul (Alia Ceniza Rasul: Moro Girl), storytelling and Hip-Hop with B The Wiz (A Storytelling Hip-Hop Experience), Australian comedian Jon Bennett (Ameri-CAN’T), improvised Shakespeare from The Spontaneous Shakespeare Company (Tragedy or Triumph: An Improvised Shakespearean Epic), and Jessica Lemes da Silva, winner of the 2024 Vancouver Fringe & Playwrights Theatre Centre New Play Prize (God’s a Drag).
Special Events at Performance Works (1218 Cartwright Street, Granville Island):
The 2024 Festival showcases three special ($25) ticketed events at Performance Works
Vancouver Fringe Festival Opening Showcase; Wednesday, September 4th at 7pm
Abdul Aziz and Shawn O’Hara host the Fringe4All, an opening night showcase with a whirlwind of two-minute excerpts from 30 randomly chosen Fringe artists.
Smut Slam; Thursday, September 5th at 9pm
Hosted by DD Brassiere, the Smut Slam is a dirty storytelling open microphone event. Ages 19+.
Cabaret of 40 Years More Bullshit; Saturday, September 14th at 11pm
The annual Cabaret of Bullshit, a late-night celebration featuring the artists of the 2024 Fringe. Irreverent, full of laughs, and lit by only flashlights. Celebrates theatrical mayhem with the Cabaret of 40 Years More Bullshit.
Fringe Bar, (1531 Johnston Street, Granville Island):
Free Nightly Entertainment
The Fringe Bar is open from 5pm to late on weekdays and 3pm to late on weekends throughout the Festival. With a licensed bar, food trucks and nightly-free performances, including the Fringe artist-led 11th Hour Cabaret (games, prizes, dancing and music with Devon More), DJs, music, dance parties, trivia, bands, karaoke, the Mr. Fringe 2024 Drag Pageant and other programming throughout the 12 days of the Vancouver Fringe.
Single Tickets, MultiBuy Passes and memberships for all shows are now available for purchase at vancouverfringe.com.
The Fringe requires the purchase of a $10 annual, one-time membership that helps cover artist and Festival costs. Ticket prices (typically between $15 to $18), are set by the performers with Fringe returning 100% of ticket profits to the artists. Membership is free for children aged 13 and under, so long as they are accompanied by an adult.