WE ARE DURHAM FRINGE CIC
Supporting the performing arts in County Durham & beyond
ABOUT US
Durham Fringe Festival is a genuinely grassroots initiative, set up in 2021 as a community interest company (CIC). It was initially conceived by a group of friends, living and working in the North-East, who love Fringe Festivals and had a collective dream to grow a festival in their home city of Durham. Five years in, the organisation has seen significant growth. The 2025 festival sold just under 10,000 tickets and the organisation employs a Festival Manager to help deliver the event and support our growing ambitions.
We are supported by a network of partner organisations and businesses, who can see the potential of the festival in supporting the vibrancy of the city, and creating opportunities for artists and for the communities of County Durham and the wider North East.
The Fringe has experienced remarkable growth since its inception in 2021. The historic city of Durham provides the atmospheric backdrop for the festival, which takes place across a network of venues in the city centre in the last week of July.
OUR MISSION
To advance the arts by providing a low cost performance platform throughout Durham for new, emerging, experimental and innovative artists.
To attract established and internationally acclaimed artists who can support, advise, encourage and share knowledge with developing artists.
OUR VISION
We want to be an internationally acclaimed accessible arts festival that stimulates, educates, develops and provides opportunities for audiences and artistic communities particularly in Durham and the North East of England.
OUR VALUES
1. Celebrating culture and art
2. Inclusivity
3. Independence
4. Nurturing
5. Respect
6. Transparency and openness
Meet The Team
Maria Baranowska
Festival Manager & Delivery Team
With a foundation in marketing and communications, over the last few years Maria has shifted focus to project and event management and spent recent years delivering major projects for the Ouseburn Trust, including their annual Arts Festival and a new community venue 51 Lime Street. We’re very excited she’s bringing these skills and energy to DFF.
Sally Dixon
Partnerships Manager & Delivery Team
Sally has held various roles in North East England’s cultural sector over the past 25 years, and brings a broad base of experience across the arts, museums and heritage. Over the past decade, she has developed a specialism in preparing and delivering large scale fundraising campaigns, and she now leads on fundraising and partnerships portfolio for DFF.
Ellen Olley
Marketing Officer & Delivery Team
Ellen is an arts marketer and producer, currently working in audience development and community engagement at Durham University Student Performing Arts alongside working in marketing part-time for the Durham Fringe Festival and North East Film Orchestra.
Chris Blakeborough
Technical Lead, CDB Productions Solutions
Owner and Managing Director of CDB Production solutions who have provided stage, lighting, sound equipment and professional technicians for the Durham Fringe Festival since our inception.
Dr Stephen Cronin
Festival Director, Board Chair & Delivery Team
Retired: Paediatrician, Designated Doctor for Child Protection, and High Sheriff . Sometime Programme Maker, Scriptwriter, Set Designer, Director, and RTS award winner for Children’s Cancer Videos.
Peter Lotts
Technical Director, Board Director & Delivery Team
Passionate theatre technician and experienced Fringe technician, with experience building maintainable and scalable online experiences from high-level goals.
Daryl Folkard
Board Director & Delivery Team
Durham alumnus. Investment Banker, formerly at Foreign Office. Writer and Producer (Edinburgh and London Fringes). Co-founder of the Edible Art Movement.
Elizabeth Scott
Board Director
Durham County Council Portfolio Holder for Economy and Partnerships. Her professional background is in economic development and regeneration – and she ran her own business for 13 years.
Phil Cronin
Board Director
Phil has worked all his life in Sunderland: first in the Edward Thompson Group then founding Tombola ltd. Retirement has allowed him to establish a charitable foundation supporting causes in the region.
Adam Shanley
Board Director
An avid Arts supporter, Adam started as a Festival volunteer in 2024. Adam is the Parish Clerk for Durham City as well as a Board Member on Durham Business Improvement District. In those roles, he enjoys organising major events in the City. Adam is a Director of the Festival in a personal capacity.
