Amsterdam Fringe Festival 2025: Discover the Bold Spirit of Independent Theater
From 4 to 14 Sep 2025
From September 4 to 14, 2025, the Amsterdam Fringe Festival celebrates its 20th edition, inviting audiences to dive into 11 days of performances, experiments, and unexpected encounters across the city. Unlike traditional theater festivals, Fringe is all about the rafelrand, the frayed edges, where new voices, underground talent, and boundary-pushing art center stage.
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The Spirit of Fringe: A Haven for Experimentation
The Amsterdam Fringe Festival was born in 2005 as a rebellious counterpart to the Nederlands Theater Festival, offering a platform for emerging artists and unbridled creativity. Today, it stands as a global beacon for independent theatre, performance, and dance, inspired by the legendary Fringe festivals of Edinburgh in the 1940s, this movement has spread globally, with Amsterdam's version becoming one of Europe's most exciting and inclusive theater festivals. With an open call system, the festival curates a mix of over 200 shows in 22+ venues, from iconic theatres to hidden clubs, boats, and even garages. Every year, Fringe makers compete for the Fringe at Best (FAB) Awards, with winners earning spots at international festivals and a €3000 bursary to take their work. While other festivals present finished products, Fringe is all about the process. It's a festival of discovery.
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Where to Experience Fringe 2025: Venues & Hidden Gems
Fringe is everywhere, literally. The festival sprawls across Amsterdam, turning the entire city into a stage. Here are some of the most exciting venues to explore.
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DOOR OPEN SPACE
A multidisciplinary hub in Amsterdam-Noord where art, performance, and experimentation collide.
Vibe: Alternative, independent, and open-minded.
Wheelchair accessible and toilet for wheelchair users
Tt. Vasumweg 31, 1033 SB Amsterdam
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Podium Mozaïek
A multicultural performing arts venue with theatre, dance, music, and comedy from around the world.
Vibe: Welcoming, diverse, and always buzzing with global influences.
Wheelchair accessible and toilet for wheelchair users
Bos en Lommerweg 191, 1055 DT Amsterdam
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Oscam
The Open Space Contemporary Art Museum in the Bijlmer, spotlighting art, fashion, design, and social conversations.
Vibe: Bold, urban, and socially engaged.
Wheelchair accessible and toilet for wheelchair users
Bijlmerplein 110, 1102 DB Amsterdam
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Frascati
The beating heart of Dutch theatre and the unofficial headquarters of the festival. Its multiple stages host a huge portion of the program.
Vibe: The professional hub. Buzzing, central, and always something happening.
Wheelchair accessible and toilet for wheelchair users
Nes 63, 1012 KD Amsterdam
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Likeminds Noord
A dynamic cultural space in Amsterdam-Noord supporting new makers and fresh voices across theatre and performance.
Vibe: Emerging, experimental and collaborative.
Wheelchair accessible and toilet for wheelchair users
Gedempt Hamerkanaal 203, 1021 KP Amsterdam
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CC Amstel
A neighbourhood theatre and cultural centre with an intimate feel, programming theatre, music and community events.
Vibe: Local, creative, and close to the community.
Wheelchair accessible and toilet for wheelchair users
Cullinanplein 1, 1074 JN Amsterdam
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DB 55
An industrial-style creative space hosting performances, exhibitions, and experimental works.
Vibe: Raw, edgy, and underground.
Wheelchair accessible and toilet for wheelchair users
Danzigerbocht 55, 1013 AM Amsterdam
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Theatercafé De Richel
A tiny and legendary underground theatre café known for intimate performances and avant-garde charm.
Vibe: Cozy, alternative, and a little rebellious.
Wheelchair accessible and toilet for wheelchair users
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 28 H, 1012 RT Amsterdam
These are just some of the Fringe hotspots, the city is full of stages waiting to be discovered. For the full list of venues and accessibility info, check out Outhere or Amsterdam Fringe Festival website.
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A Snapshot of This Year's Highlights
This festival explores identities, and sparks deep reflection, it's a space of artistic resistance. In this edition, emerging artists and established names come together to present works that question, move, and transform. Get ready to laugh, reflect, and be surprised by a lineup that celebrates diversity, boldness, and creative freedom. Below, discover some of the standout performances, and for a deeper dive into the shows of this year, read our full post dedicated exclusively to the performances.
Expect unconventional spaces like boats, underground clubs, and themes like gender identity, mental health, human connection and more. Each performance is a unique experience, plan your personalized program with us in Outhere app or website.
Theatre
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All About Us
Jonathan Bonny & Manuel Kiros Paolini
A raw exploration of queerness and authenticity in a world that often commodifies identity.
Genre: Dance, Music theatre, Text theatre
Theme: Fringe Award Winner 2024, History Re-told, Queer Stories
Language: English
Wheelchair accessible
11–14 Sep 2025 |
Likeminds Noord
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Anders Ik Wel
Geoffrey van der Ven
A poignant show about shame and the emotional toll of being different.
Genre: Spoken word, Poetry, Storytelling, Text theatre
Theme: History Re-told, Queer Stories, Recommended by Poetry Circle
Language: Dutch
Wheelchair accessible
6–9 Sep 2025 |
Tolhuistuin
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Daddy's little problem
Priscilla ter Voert
A harrowing solo performance on the lifelong impact of childhood sexual violence. Genre: Spoken word, Poetry, Storytelling
Theme: Face my truth, The female voice, Voicing the Unvoiced
Language: Dutch
Wheelchair accessible
7–10 Sep 2025 |
Frascati
Performance Art
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A PELO
Fernando Troya
A visceral duet exploring survival, sweat, and human vulnerability.
Genre: Dance, Mime, Performance Art
Theme: Fringe Award Winner 2024, History Re-told, Queer Stories
Language: Language no problem
Trigger Warning: This performance contains nudity
Wheelchair accessible
5–8 Sep 2025 |
De Sloot
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Portals
RADVLAD
A queer fable blending music, dance, and digital art to explore identity in the digital age.
Genre: Dance, Multimedia performance, Music theatre
Theme: IdentiWho?, Queer Stories, Voicing the Unvoiced
Language: English
Wheelchair accessible
5–8 Sep 2025 |
De Sloot
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My Pussy is Coming for You
Rachel Hansoul
A fierce, empowering performance about reclaiming personal power.
Genre: Dance, Spoken word, Poetry, Storytelling
Theme: Face my truth, The female Voice, Voicing the Unvoiced
Language: English
Trigger warning: this performance mentions unacceptable behavior
Wheelchair accessible
7–10 Sep 2025 |
Perdu
Dance
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Between Heart and Hole
Lacopo Loliva
A daring fusion of dance and pornography, celebrating the body and its taboos.
Genre: Dance, Performance Art
Theme: Connection, Queer Stories, Voicing the Unvoiced
Language: English
Attention: this performance contains pornographic content, Smoke, Fog machine, Stroboscope
Wheelchair accessible
11–14 Sep 2025 |
Frascati
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Frammenti
Cecilia Rosso
A visceral solo performance combining movement, aerial tension, and rebellion.
Genre: Circus, Performance Art
Theme: Mental Health, Speaking Bodies, The female voice
Language: Language No problem
Wheelchair accessible
10–14 Sep 2025 |
Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond
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Call me Lole
Nacho Sanz Fernández
A flamenco performance breaking free from traditional gender roles.
Genre: Dance, Performance Art
Theme: Changing the Norm, IdentiWho?, Queer Stories
Language: Language No Problem
Wheelchair accessible
8–9 & 11–12 Sep 2025 |
Likeminds Noord
Women & Non-Binary Directors
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Dat wat ontembaar is: criatura
Melissa Diktas
A poetic exploration of the untamable parts of existence.
Genre: Dance
Thema: Fringe Award Winner 2024, Speaking Bodies, The female voice
Language: Language No Problem
Wheelchair accessible
4–5 & 8–9 Sep 2025 |
CC Amstel
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Moving Narrative
Amber Docters van Leeuwen
A docu-theatre piece about adoption, identity, and imagination.
A speculative performance questioning the future through a feminist lens.
Genre: Performance Art, Social Arts
Theme: Changing the Norm, Recommended by RIGHTABOUTNOWING, The female voice
Language: English
Trigger Warning: This Performance contains nudity
Wheelchair accessible
6–9 Sep 2025 |
Likeminds Noord
What to Expect
200+ performances across 22 venues, including theatres, clubs, and unconventional spaces like boats
Affordable tickets (€8 - €15) and English-friendly show for international audiences
A festival that challenges norms, celebrates diversity, and redefines theatre.
Why Amsterdam Fringe Festival 2025 Matters
In a world where mainstream entertainment often plays it safe, the Amsterdam Fringe Festival champions artistic risk and social commentary, tackling themes from mental health to social justice, it reflects the values we live by at Outhere: diversity and inclusion, community building, accessibility, and cultural discovery. Our CMO, Barbarah Rios, began in Brazil's theater scene, and her experiences inspired Outhere's mission: to broaden access and visibility to the arts.
The festival embodies our core values:
Diversity and Inclusion: Celebrating artists from all backgrounds;
Community Building: Connecting audiences with like-minded culture lovers;
Accessibility: Making art available to everyone;
Cultural Discovery: Helping you find experiences that expand your worldview.
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Plan your Fringe Experience with Outhere
The Amsterdam Fringe Festival isn't just about watching performances, it's about stepping into a world of fearless creativity, emerging voices, and stories that challenge the way we see theatre. With so many venues spread across the city, each with its own unique atmosphere, there's always a new corner of Amsterdam waiting to be discovered through art.
To make the most of your Fringe journey, download the Outhere app or navigate through outhere.guide, you'll find a personalized cultural agenda, tailored recommendations, and easy ways to explorewhat's happening around you. And if you're hungry for even more theatre, don't miss our blog post about the Nederlands Theater Festival (NTF), the stage where the best of Dutch and Flemish theatre comes together. Between Fringe's bold experiments and NTF's celebrated highlights, September in Amsterdam is the ultimate season for theatre lovers.
Download the Outhere app, explore our website, and let us be your cultural compass for Amsterdam Fringe, NTF, and every unforgettable event in between.
