Folkestone Fringe

What connects us? What divides us? What futures are we not yet imagining? These were the questions at the heart of Flint & Clay 2025, and now the full research report is live. Link in bio. Each month we will share a different section so you can find your way in. Whether you were part of it, curious about place-based practice, or just want to know what Folkestone's creative community is thinking about right now, there is something in here for you. Stay tuned ✨ Report researched and written by @theartroom_sbdavies and designed by @danny.windsor with contributions from participating artists, audience & partners. #flintandclay #folkestonefringe #folkestone #placebasedpractice #communityart

Submit your short moving-image, hybrid or experimental film via the link in our bio, for upcoming monthly screenings in Folkestone ! 🎞️ #opencallforartists #opencall

films, drinks, nibbles, community ✅ Friday 27 Feb, at @urbanroomfstone , from 5:45pm See you there !! Curated by local filmmaker Rhiana Bonterre - @rhiana.mp4 , this month’s programme is titled ‘Between Land and Water’, and features the work of Clare Unsworth - @thatclareunsworth Helga Dorothea - @helgadorotheafilm Fannon, Isaac Magner - @imagner Rhiana Bonterre, Thales Pessoa - @thalespg Michelle Trujillo - @pionerafilmvideo Chloe and Megan Charlton @chloe.chrlt

Why not spend your Friday evening in Folkestone watching short experimental films, with a drink and some nibbles? 🎞️🌊 Join us at @urbanroomfstone on Friday 27 February from 17:45! flicker / drift is a new monthly moving image, experimental and hybrid film screening event based in Folkestone. It takes place at The Urban Room Folkestone in the town centre – an intimate space that will transform into a collective viewing environment for artists and audiences to gather, watch, reflect, and discuss. The aim is to highlight local, national, and international filmmakers at different stages of their practice, including works in progress, and to create space for conversation and exchange in Folkestone and among its [extended] community. No booking required! Curated by local filmmaker Rhiana Bonterre - @rhiana.mp4 , this month’s programme is titled ‘Between Land and Water’, and features the work of Clare Unsworth - @thatclareunsworth Helga Dorothea - @helgadorotheafilm Fannon, Isaac Magner - @imagner Rhiana Bonterre, Thales Pessoa - @thalespg Michelle Trujillo - @pionerafilmvideo + more @lastfridaysfolk @mugs_folkestone #lastfridaysfolkestone #fil

Happy New Year to you all!  We‘re excited to introduce a new string to our bow: Fringe Learns.  In response to what we learned and witnessed last year, and with thanks to @aceagrams , we are offering two fully-funded workshops built specifically for Folkestone creatives. 📌 23 & 24 February: Holding Space in a Polarised World with Dr Giuseppe Maglione from University of Kent’s Restorative Justice Clinic. Learn how to confidently bridge divides through your creative work, and navigate conflict should it arise.  📌 3 March: Company Structure & Governance for Creatives with Lindsay Stockley from Culture Rise. Whether you‘re thinking of setting up as a CIC, a charity, or something else, get clarity on what structure best serves your practice. 15 spots on each programme. Fully funded (worth £500 combined). Please complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) by Thursday 15 January to secure your place. More details on our website — link in bio! 📌 EOI deadline: 15 Jan

✨ Magic Carpets 2025 | Folkestone Fringe in Wrocław ✨ As 2025 comes to a close, Magic Carpets partners gathered in Wrocław to reflect on this year’s journey, share ideas, and dream up new projects together 🪄 The highlight of our end-of-year programme was the exhibition “Shelters, Covers, Slits” exploring shelter, safety, and social-political realities. The exhibition presented renovated World War II shelters, combining installations, videos, collages, and more — bringing art, reflection, and community together. 📌Artist Yuriy Biley 📌Curators Paulina Brelińska-Garsztka, Brigita Bareikytė Ana Gabelaia and Linda Krumina 📌Organised by WIK as part of the international Magic Carpets project Alongside the exhibition, Emerging Curators’ Capacity Building Programme offered curators a series of workshops, discussions, and hands-on learning on audience engagement, storytelling, and inclusive practices. Each partner also presented this year’s Magic Carpets residencies, showcasing artists’ work and creative processes. Together, we explored how creativity can connect communities and inspire change❤️ A massive thank you to all the curators and partners who made Wrocław unforgettable. See you in Tbilisi next year, magicians! #magiccarpets #shelterscoversslits #yuriybiley #emergingcurators #creativeeurope #publicart #community #wrocław #folkestonefringe

Dust to dust! Mortal Made returns! Let’s face it, none of us are getting out alive, so join us to explore how to deal with our inevitable demise with a host of artists, makers and death practitioners this festive season 🎄⚰️💀 Tackling the great British death taboo we will be offering space with subversive acts of moving and making to support the living. Mortal Made runs from Thursday 11th - Sunday 14th December @ Urban Room, Folkestone (aka Mugs) and The Loft. Mortal Making will be on offer and open to all during the day so you can enjoy a coffee whilst designing a coffin, creating a skull talisman or offering to the Christmas tree and perusing the death library. This year we’ll be also be hosting a series of ticketed Death Salons across the four days for anyone that wants to delve deeper. There will be opportunities for Urn Decorating, Shroud Making & Wearing, Death & Permaculture, Pocket Shrines & Public Signs, Bone Dancing and Death Planning (The nuts and bolts of it). On the Friday and Saturday nights the Send Off Social Club will open till late for anyone that needs to shake off the existential fear or decompress with our pop up mezcal bar and memento mori tattoo parlour. Full event and ticket info coming next week! Mortal Made is supported by @creativefstone , Roger De Haan Charitable Foundation, @simplekentfunerals , @fstonefringe , @mugs_folkestone and Urban Room Folkestone #mortalmade #folkestone #deathfestival #death #life #folkestoneartists #art #festival #make #create #communityart

This was next level STRIDE We lit up Folkestone Town Centre last night, and turned it up LOUD as pupils, staff and families from schools in @turnerschoolsuk trust, the STRIDE production team, volunteers and Saturday night strollers/revellers celebrated together. Neon faces glowed on young performers whilst this collaborative animation 2.0 was projected across shop fronts and homes to a drum&bass soundtrack. What a night! Congratulations and SO MUCH thanks to everyone involved in the project, a collaboration between Folkestone Fringe, Toby Melville-Brown of @tmbworkshops and the Trust schools' artists 🥳 coordinated by Michelle Foxwood. An incredible amount of behind the scenes planning, logistics, construction and rehearsing happened prior to the event and it was so worth it 🙌🏽 What a banger! #folkestonefringe #folkestone #kentart #publicartEngland #flintandclay #creativeschools #performingarts #animation #largescaleanimation #Stride #communityart

STRIDE with us!! Join our joyful public march to a banging soundtrack THIS SATURDAY 15/11/25 Meet at Folkestone Town Hall @folkestone_museum at 5:30pm, and join the STRIDE procession as it passes by! (6pm-ish) Dress warm and ready to celebrate the work of over 3000 staff and students @turnerschoolsuk created alongside @tmbworkshops as this colourful animation is projected across buildings and monuments in our town. See you there 🎉 #folkestone #stride #folkestoneevents #communityeventsfolkestone #familyfunfolkestone #communityart #largescaleanimation animation

STRIDE is on the move.  This major animated artwork, premiered on the Harbour Screen at the start of Fringe Festival is TAKING A WALK, and you are invited! 'Our Town, our contribution, our STRIDE' A collective march of over 3000 pupils and staff from five Folkestone Turner Trust schools -aka the artists who worked with Toby Melville-Brown, will move forward as one on: 🗓️ Saturday 15th November ⌚ Gathering at 17.30, Procession 18.00-18.30 📍Town hall @folkestone_museum ready to join the procession as it passes. 🪩 Warm clothes recommended, all dance moves welcome >> STRIDE is a joyous large-scale collaboration between Folkestone Fringe X Toby Melville-Brown of @tmbworkshops X Michelle Foxwood and the pupils and staff of @turnerschoolsuk FolkestoneAcademy @turnerfreeschool @martello_primary @morehallprimary @folkestoneprimary turnersixthform #stride #folkestoneFringe #folkestone #animation #artinstallation #publicartEngland #kent #visitkent

The Learning Feast 🩷 Great conversations were had, delicious food consumed- thanks Charlotte @mugs_folkestone 😋 and a special time was shared together last night. THANK YOU ALL for coming out to share your experiences of Flint+Clay, and for discussing your ideas on journeying forward together, the bounty of which will be digested over the autumn. Special thanks for which goes to artist and participatory researcher Sarah B Davies for facilitating this Learning Lab. See you all soon, AND look out for STRIDE on 15th November!! 📍5:30pm Gathering for procession from Church st. Folkestone #folkestonefringe #folkestone #folkestoneartists #artists #flintandclay #thesehandsmake #artistcommunity

This exhibition at Urban Room Folkestone marks the final moment of Flint & Clay in 2025 — a space to look back, take part, and imagine what we might build next, together. ⌚ Open daily until 3pm 📍 The Urban Room @mugs_folkestone Tram Road, Folkestone. 🗓️ 1st November - 30th November 2025 Tell me more? >> Folkestone Fringe 2025: Flint+Clay asked 3 questions - What connects us? What divides us? What futures can we imagine together? We asked because we wanted to listen - to ask people in Folkestone how they feel. We worked closely with artists across Folkestone who brought together the outcomes of those exchanges - artworks, workshops, and encounters that took shape through collective making. In this exhibition you will see a sample of how artists and residents have pressed, stitched, spun, painted and performed -exploring how creativity can help us hold both fragility and resilience, resistance and care. Artworks include: •Future Fossils from @sandgateceramic Cabinet of (un)Natural Curiosities workshops • What does care look like for you? -Moulded clay artefact and photos from the Community Studio sessions led by Sarah Lloyd •Community Thread spun from local wool during @fearless_textures experience •'Faces of Folkestone' collaborative artwork facilitated by @oliverenwonwu at Fete of Folkestone •Folkestone Palaver/Dirty Protest subverted artwork by Beth Hart •Team Tapped-In :Art review gaming •Golden Heart by @suturedspecimens •Examples of Curious Kiosk public placards constructed during workshops this Autumn in response to the questions above. Design and Construction Alex Salwa + Construct Lab •The Waiting Gym- GenuineFake X Kent Refugee Network and People United Together, these works form a record of shared gestures — the fingerprints of many hands. Some will return to the ground, others will circulate as conversations, or remain as traces of this year’s experiment in working together ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NB The Learning Feast, a gathering to share experiences from this year's festival, is this Thursday 06/11 see posts/stories for details. #thesehandsmake #kentart #folkestone #folkestonefringe