Over the past two weeks, the entire city of Delft transformed into a stage. From windmills to living rooms and from bouldering gyms to yoga studios. 23 makers performed their shows at 30 locations throughout the city. From surprising premieres to moving performances and wonderful encounters: we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. On Sunday, June 7, the Delft Fringe Festival concluded with the presentation of the audience award. Visitors cast their votes and chose the winner: The Falling Club with the show Rogers, just Just Rogers .

This newly formed collective of international dance artists, who wish to reveal the silently meaningful, made a deep impression on the audience. By combining knowledge from dance, circus, and performance art, The Falling Club creates performances on the border between uncertainty and trust, boredom and excitement, floating and falling. 

A pleasant vulnerability 

Griffioen: “This year, the performances seem to be created from a pleasant vulnerability, whether physical or thematic. Makers present a raw reality while simultaneously seeking an answer or closure . As a result, they have opened the audience’s eyes on the one hand, while simultaneously offering space for discussion. Think of the loss of a best friend, adoption, complicated life choices, or investigating the meat industry as a vegan. But a counter-movement is also gaining ground, in which the ordinary is taken as the starting point, office life is magnified, and absurd questions serve as the basis. This mix of themes and performances is precisely what makes the Delft Fringe Festival so uniquely rich.” 

Winner of the Delft Chamber Music Festival Award 

In addition to the audience award, the Delft Chamber Music Festival Award was traditionally presented. This jury prize for young musical talent went this year to Max Bruins and Femke Hulsman. With Prometheus / Epimetheus , they presented a poetic music theatre performance about hope and its dark side. Nino Gvetadze, Artistic Director of the Dutch Chamber Music Festival Award: “Max Bruins & Femke Hulsman brought together singing, theatre, and storytelling with remarkable craftsmanship and professionalism, creating an experience of rare intimacy and genuine emotional engagement.” By winning this award, Max Bruins secures a performance slot at the Delft Chamber Music Festival 2027. 

Big themes, but relatable 

The makers at the Delft Fringe Festival did not shy away from major themes this year, such as a violent war past, grief, adoption, trans love, mental health, and migration.
These are themes that have been part of the theater for centuries, yet have lost none of their power. The creators managed to carry their weight without crushing the audience, whether they opted for grand gestures or quiet, small details. They consistently succeeded in bridging the gap between the unknown and the familiar. The result was encounters that lingered, and conversations that went beyond the performance itself. 

About Delft Fringe Festival 

What started as a modest project in 2011 has grown into a full-fledged performing arts festival playing a major role in the Dutch cultural landscape. For two weeks, in late May and early June, performances fill the most beautiful historic locations in Delft. And outside of the festival, we are active all year round.
The Delft Fringe Festival gives new makers the space to grow within a professional environment and for a real audience. Because new talent deserves a stage. And the audience deserves makers who have something to say: young people with stories that touch, surprise, and paint an honest portrait of the world as it is today. 

Edition 2027: May 26 to June 6 

The opening of the next edition of the Delft Fringe Festival will take place on Wednesday, May 26, 2027, at 7:30 PM, at Theater de Veste.

Text: Delft Fringe Festival. Translation to English: Delft Online.

Image: Patricia Oldenhave, Sini Ahonen, Gregor Kenneweg & Meike Münch of The Falling Club and artist director a.i. Tamara Griffioen. Photographer: Sjoerd Derine.