Interview: Lee Farman on Ten Years of Watford Fringe

As Watford Fringe marks its tenth anniversary, festival chair Lee Farman talks community, Cassiobury Park and life beyond Harry Potter Studios

Watford Fringe Festival turns ten this year, and the anniversary programme is its broadest yet: over 70 performances across theatres, community spaces, parks, cabaret rooms, churches and schools throughout July, having launched in the town centre on 4 July and taking in venues including the Watford Pump House, Watford Colosseum, Watford Palace Theatre, West Herts College and St Mary’s and St John’s Churches. Red Bus Londinium spoke to Lee Farman, chair of the Watford Pump House, which co-ordinates the festival, about a decade of growth, this year’s new additions, and what makes Watford more than just the town near the Harry Potter Studios.

Red Bus: Watford Fringe Festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. How does it feel to look back on a decade of the festival, and how has it changed since those early days?

Lee Farman: It feels both joyful and quite humbling. When Watford Fringe first began, the ambition was simple: to create more opportunities for artists to perform locally and to give audiences a reason to explore live performance in their own town. Ten years on, it has become a major part of Watford’s cultural calendar, with a month-long programme that brings together theatre, comedy, music, dance, family shows, magic, new writing, community events and much more. What has changed most is the scale and confidence of the festival. We now welcome more than 70 performances across venues throughout the town, but the spirit remains the same: accessible, welcoming, creative and proudly rooted in Watford.

Red Bus: What’s new or different about this year’s programme?

Lee Farman: This year feels particularly special because the tenth anniversary programme is broader than ever. Audiences can expect a real mix: pre-Edinburgh previews, established comedians, international recording artists, award-winning performers, premieres of new material, returning favourites and brilliant local talent. This year we have added several Cassiobury Park events within the Fringe programme for the first time, including The Big Bandstand, The Sword in the Stone and Big Jiveswing. Also new this year is Bus Different, a double decker book bus that provides an artistic and magical wellbeing space. That helps the festival stretch further across the town and shows that Fringe can happen in theatres, community spaces, parks, cabaret rooms, churches, schools and unexpected places too.

Red Bus: Fringe festivals often live or die on the strength of their community. What does that community look like in Watford, and how has it grown over ten years?

Lee Farman: The Watford Fringe community is a brilliant mix of artists, audiences, volunteers, venues, local businesses, schools, community groups and civic partners. It is not just one arts audience; it is people coming together from across the town, often discovering something new or supporting someone they know on stage. Over ten years, that community has grown because people have felt a sense of ownership over the festival. Performers see Watford as a place where they can try new work and reach enthusiastic audiences, while local people see the Fringe as something that belongs to them. That connection is what keeps the festival alive.

Red Bus: For readers who’ve never visited, or don’t realise how accessible Watford is, what would you want them to know, what makes it distinctive, and what might surprise them?

Lee Farman: Watford is more than the location of Harry Potter Studios. We are close to London, well connected by public transport and surrounded by a thriving town centre, green spaces, independent venues, restaurants and cultural landmarks that make a visit feel full and varied. What surprises many first-time visitors is the range: you can see a show in a theatre, catch music in a more intimate setting, take the family to an outdoor performance, spend time in Cassiobury Park and still feel part of one connected festival experience. With a strong music scene, historic venues, Watford has a warmth and energy that people sometimes underestimate until they are here.

Red Bus: What’s your hope for where Watford Fringe goes next, over the next ten years?

Lee Farman: My hope is that Watford Fringe continues to grow without losing the qualities that made it work in the first place. Over the next ten years, I would love to see even more artists choosing Watford as a place to develop and present work, more young people and community groups taking part, and more audiences seeing the festival as a regular part of their summer. We want the Fringe to remain open, affordable and adventurous, while continuing to raise Watford’s profile as a creative destination. Of course having a future hit show saying, we started at the Watford Fringe, would be a bonus.

Listings Information

Festival: Watford Fringe Festival, 10th anniversary

Venues include: Watford Pump House, Watford Colosseum, Watford Palace Theatre, West Herts College, Cassiobury Park, St Mary’s and St John’s Churches

Dates: Throughout July 2026, launch event 4 July

More info: watfringe.co.uk

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