Wandsworth Arts Fringe 2022 – What You Need to Know

Spanning 17 days and over 150 different events, Wandsworth Arts Fringe 2022 is bound to be a dazzling event filled with music, spoken word, theatre, comedy and dance.  

Since 2010, Wandsworth Arts Fringe has brought together hundreds and thousands of artists beginner and established alike under the auspices of Wandsworth Council. The festival prides itself on being emphatically inclusive and open to everyone, regardless of age, gender, race or disability status. Set in Wandsworth’s pubs, theatres, galleries, studios and churches, WAF promises art hidden among the trees, dancers on the river path, or a tiny theatre inside the old Arches at St Mary’s Putney. 

This year’s highlights include: 

• Dancing in the streets to celebrate Royal Academy of Dance’s brand new home on York Road; 
• A host of stunning and original dance pieces staged at RAD: Ballet Soul’s contemporary dance adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, Sheba Montserrat’s Shackles, The Whip, and The Drum tackling topics of African spirituality and ensaevment, London Children’s Ballet’s production of Anne of Green Gables following a hit run at Sadler’s Wells and E33’s contemporary ballet We’re Gonna Be Okay, among many others; 
• In music, expect everything: Bach Club’s Pawel Siwczak, National Opera Studio’s Songs and Scones, chill-out jazz and classical quartet Fuzion Four, Afrobeat, Rap and Reggaeton by On Da Beat Studios and folk-jazz by Giant Folk; 
• For children, WAF offers many a magical event, from a musical adventure for ages 3-7 Meg In The Magic Toyshop to The Lost Feather, a sensory storytelling show designed for autistic and disabled children; 
• WAF Schools Showcase with live performances from local schoolchildren at Wandsworth Town Hall’s Civic Suite; 
• The WAF Dance Weekender will take place in various public spaces around Battersea – expect the unexpected, from accessible dance workshops with disability-led dance troupe Magpie Dance to pop up performances from Flamenco Con Gusto and Orleta Polish Folk Song and Dance; 
• A good many free activities are set in parks and open spaces across the borough: Art in The Park in Wandsworth Park, the Alton Family Fun Day, artful reuse festival Hazelfest on the Hazelhurst Estate, and disability-led theatre company The Baked Bean Company’s performance on Battersea High Street; 
• A fabulous line-up of fringe theatre and comedy staged at the borough’s best theatres; 
• A fascinating programme of spoken word and poetry featuring a celebrity poet John Agard, Wordplay and Flow Live, Lost Souls community poetry group, Richmond & Wandsworth LGBT Equality & Ally Group, and Words of Wandsworth’s Open Mic Picnic; 
• A range of visual art shows and exhibitions: the Royal College of Art’s Bursary winners will exhibit at Nine Elm’s Outlined Gallery, and RCA Fashion Students cooperated with Share Community’s disabled artists to bring to life an accessible and sustainable millinery fashion show; 
• Last but not least, plenty of hands-on activities, from fan-making to quilt-making and from martial arts to creative writing. 

To find out more about the 2022 festival, please visit www.wandsworthartsfringe.com 

To book tickets online: wandsworthartsfringe.com or phone: 08442 439 475