The Fringe Festival, considered one of the World’s Largest Movements, is set to make its India debut from March 10–15, 2026, featuring top Indian performers, global acts, and nearly 60 shows across Bandra. Here’s everything you need to know.
After nearly eight decades of reshaping global performance culture, the Fringe is finally coming to India. What began in 1947 as a rebellious act on the edges of the Edinburgh International Festival has evolved into the world’s largest open-access arts movement, spanning more than 300 festivals worldwide, including Edinburgh, Prague and Adelaide. This March, that global legacy finds a new home in Mumbai.
The Mumbai Fringe Festival will make its India debut from March 10 to March 15, 2026, marking a significant moment for the country’s live arts landscape.
What is the Fringe and why does it matter?
Born out of creative resistance, the Fringe model champions artistic freedom, minimal gatekeeping and direct engagement between artists and audiences. Over the decades, it has launched careers, challenged conventions and redefined what live performance can look like.
With its arrival in Mumbai, the festival brings a globally celebrated format to India, offering performers and audiences a space rooted in experimentation, discovery and cultural exchange.
When and where will Mumbai Fringe Festival take place?
The festival opens at the iconic Tata Theatre, NCPA, before spreading across Bandra’s vibrant creative circuit, including Khar Comedy Club, 3 Art House, and indifferent @ Gharonda.
Over six days and nearly 60 performances, Mumbai will transform into a dynamic cultural map where audiences move between venues, discovering new voices across comedy, theatre, poetry, storytelling and experimental performance.
Star-studded Indian lineup and acclaimed global acts
The India edition launches with a compelling mix of leading Indian voices and internationally celebrated productions.
The festival features Indian performers such as Rohan Joshi, Kanan Gill, Varun Grover, Aakash Gupta, Priya Malik, Amandeep Khayal, Urooj Ashfaq, and Amit Tandon.
International highlights include Nigel Miles Thomas’s award-winning solo performance Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act, a striking solo adaptation of Macbeth by UK-based company The Shakespeare Edit, and David Hoskin’s Haunted House, a genre-blending mix of mime, comedy and storytelling.
Tickets, demand and festival momentum
Tickets are now live on BookMyShow, with several shows already sold out, reflecting strong early demand and growing excitement around the festival’s debut.
Founders on bringing Fringe to India
The Mumbai Fringe Festival is co-founded by Steve Gove and Simar Singh, united by a shared belief that India is ready for the Fringe format.
Speaking about the launch, Steve Gove, Founder and Director of the Prague Fringe, said, “Bringing Fringe to Mumbai has been a long-held dream. Cities around the world have embraced this model and watched it reshape their creative landscapes. Mumbai has the energy, the appetite and the talent to make this extraordinary.”
Simar Singh, Founder of UnErase Poetry, added, “The Fringe model gives artists complete freedom. It creates space for new voices and unexpected ideas to meet audiences directly. Mumbai deserves a platform like this.”
Global endorsement from Edinburgh Fringe Society
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, welcomed the expansion into India, stating, “Born in Scotland nearly 80 years ago, the Fringe has always stood for joy, openness and giving everyone a platform with minimal gatekeeping. We are delighted to see the Mumbai Fringe carry this same spirit forward.”
Why Mumbai Fringe Festival is a cultural milestone
Designed as a discovery-led experience rather than a large-scale spectacle, the Mumbai Fringe Festival prioritises closeness, conversation and creative risk-taking. More than just another entry on the cultural calendar, it marks a defining new chapter in Mumbai’s live arts journey.
For a country with one of the richest artistic traditions in the world, the arrival of the Fringe is both overdue and momentous. A movement that began on the margins now steps onto an Indian stage, and it begins in Mumbai.
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