The Dublin Fringe Festival 2025 has come to an end, with thousands of people attending different events of creative and performing arts. 

The 31^st annual edition of the festival showcased its usual sites of creative and performing arts, with some events being ticketed and some being free, providing an affordable experience for anybody interested in engaging with cultures such as this.  

The festival is known for its inclusivity, with a diverse group of performers and attendees alike visible in every corner. 

With ranges of performances, there is also art exhibits, such as the Minaw Collective, an outdoor visual art exhibition, completely free to the public to go and see. 

While there were many venues that transformed into a culture hub during the festival, Bewley’s Café Theatre turned into a hotspot for events, with five different events taking place over September.  

I spoke to Colm Maher, who was involved in the running of these shows in the café theatre and described the importance the festival brings in providing “a platform to young artists starting their career in theatre.” 

“It also gives a platform for artists in other disciplines to tell their story on stage. For example, in Bewley’s this year Davina Devine, who is a drag queen, put a show together telling her story. And Farah Elle, a singer/songwriter, got to tell her story about growing up in Libya.” 

As well as this, Colm also explained the importance that events like this brings to the venues themselves, explaining that “for Bewley’s the Fringe brings in a demograph of young people that the café might not otherwise attract.” 

Of course, it is mainly the performers who can reap the rewards from performing at the Fringe Festival, as Colm proudly explained the many success stories that have come from some of these shows: 

“Dublin Old School that transferred to the National Theatre in London and was then made into a movie and My Left Nut, going on to become a TV series. They follow this format of one hour shows breaking out of a fertile festival environment, in Edinburgh they had Fleabag and Baby Reindeer. In short, a Fringe show mounted on a shoe-string budget has the potential to break out into the mainstream. That is the dream! Which is part of what Fringe is all about.” 

Stories such as this perfectly encapsulate why it is so important to have shows such as this, opening the doors for young and talented performers to further develop their stage skills and provide a platform to be picked up by other venues. 

Colm goes onto develop this point, as “the intense and concentrated atmosphere of a festival environment help incubate fresh and exciting talent, ensuring theatre is kept alive in our age of online streaming platforms; Fringe festival remind people that you can’t beat a live show!” 

The festival is renowned for it’s incredible atmosphere, which evidently takes a lot of parties’ involvement to foster. 

With the Fringe Festival entering it’s 32^nd year next year, it is clear to see the impact it can have on businesses, performers and consumers alike, as Colm put it: 

“Though, more importantly, I like to ensure all the companies have a good experience in the venue. I like to foster a collaborative and creative atmosphere, which is what the spirit of Fringe is all about.”