Richmond Fringe Festival – Where Art Meets Experimentation

Richmond's creative pulse quickens as the Richmond Fringe Festival returns from April 12 to 14, 2025. This boutique-sized, multi-genre arts festival, curated by the local creative collective Spectacle & Mirth, transforms the city into a vibrant tapestry of performances, installations, and communal experiences.

With events spanning cabarets, immersive theater, game jams, and the poignant "Fringe Funeral," the festival invites attendees to explore the unconventional and celebrate the diverse artistic voices that define Richmond.

In this spotlight interview with Director Carmel Clavin, we delve into the inspirations, challenges, and aspirations that shape this year's festival!

CultureWorks: Can you share the story behind the creation of Richmond Fringe? What was the initial vision?

Carmel: The original vision was for an exploratory event of diverse arts to see what RVA would be into for the future - it was meant to be an invitation to learn what the city was into, what it valued in the art scene, who wanted to come for far away to visit and tour, what audiences were hungry for. None of that happened because of lockdowns starting on March 18, 2020. We debuted the world's very first all-digital festival on April 6 with four shows, including a live cabaret and a bunch of talk-backs with the online audience. THIS WAS NEW TERRITORY in those days. 

I founded and ran the Shenandoah Fringe in Staunton for 3 years previous to Richmond and have been in the Fringe arts sector for 10 years now as a producer, performer and patron. 

CultureWorks: How would you describe the vibe or atmosphere of the festival to someone who’s never been?

Carmel: The festival vibe is buoyant, campy, diverse, curious, and delicious. There is a buffet of delightful things to witness, participate in, and dance to.

CultureWorks: How does Richmond Fringe support emerging or underrepresented artists?

Carmel: The Fringe model is inherently a shape that allows for independent and emerging artists to flourish and explore. The barriers to entry are quite low, and the festival format allows for a higher visibility than a stand-alone project. I believe that a rising tide raises all boats, so at Richmond Fringe, we work inside a profit-sharing model to share the risk even more than the average fringe. For queer, BIPOC, disabled, and low-income people, that shared risk and low costs are a huge help over the hurdles of traditional production. 

CultureWorks: What can attendees expect from this year’s Richmond Fringe? Any standout performances or installations?

Carmel: In 2025, we’ve expanded our gaming track - we know gamers are storytellers and artists too! - so we have 2 Tabletop RPGs running along with a 24-hour Game Jam where you can build your own project from the ground up and playtest it with others!

We have loads of theatrical shows, concerts, immersive experiences, and our Live Double Features, where we pair shorter shows to create a 90-minute project. We have parties every night with live music at our FringeHQ - Révéler- and a team-up with Silent Music Revival from the James River Film Society.

We have a HUGE team up with a VCU theatre class who are not only staffing much of the festival but presenting a new immersive devised piece on Monday about forgotten gods at FringeHQ.

We also have our Fringe Funeral and Art Market again! The Funeral is a public gathering for collective grief and toasting to all we have lost and are losing. (Monday 7:30-8:30) the Market is an indoor affair at Fringe HQ Sunday (11-5) with mimosas and a DJ from WRIR on hand - they are our principal media partner!

CultureWorks: What has been your most memorable moment from past Richmond Fringe festivals?

Carmel: I think the most memorable so far is 2024's Fringe Funeral. It was emotional, supportive, and cathartic, and we had strangers coming - people we had no prior connection to chose to trust us with their time and their hearts. 

CultureWorks: What is your vision for the future of Richmond Fringe? Are there any exciting plans or changes coming soon?

Carmel: The future of Richmond Fringe sees more immersive events, more circus, and more butts in seats! We don't expand quickly so that we may better populate the brave, curious, and risky work already on hand. Next year will also see the growth of our leadership team and more year-round offerings like World Fringe Day on July 11 and more regional and cross-border partnerships with the UK, Iceland, Italy, and Australia which are all seeds stirring in the soil as we speak.