VENTNOR Fringe is in full swing, part way through its new longer ten-day festival.
There is plenty to see for free or for a donation, especially around the Ventnor Park area, with live music on the bandstand throughout most of every day, as well as a multitude of quality ticketed events.
There's a festival atmosphere, with bars run by happy volunteers and giant flags heralding the fun nature of the event.
Anyone confused about what to do or see should check out the website vfringe.co.uk/whats-on/ to pick a few options out — from art exhibitions to poetry readings and the evenings brightened by singers and bands.
Variety nights are always a sound choice — where you get to see a selection of acts and a small dose of different Fringe examples to whet the appetite for more.
On Sunday night, for example, drag favourite Joe Black compered an evening in a circus tent, with brilliant turns by the Ventnor Darlings (which inevitably turned into a crowd singalong), a quickfire Burlesque performance by international star of the circuit Elsie Diamond, and other acts including comedy magic and puppetry.
Today (Wednesday) and tomorrow, the Magpie Tent turns into a circus arena with several shows promising fun for all the family. Another big draw for the little Fringers will be TV star Andy Day, he of CBeebies fame.
Live music comes in every shape and form at this particular festival.
Local guitar heroes performed at Ventnor Arts Club last night (Tuesday), with original songs and a passionate performance from Benny Jet first.
He was followed by Greg Barnes, a favourite on the Island live music scene, but this time accompanied by his 'band of bears' which added extra depth to the proceedings and made for a lively evening of true local talent.
Testament to the organisational skills of the Fringe team, while this reviewer was in the arts club, another was at Harbourside with Billy Nomates and then watching comedian Lou Sanders in the park. Various other venues bustled with activity and the town's eateries benefited too.
The Fringe is all down to the dreams, ambition and leadership of homegrown event organisers Jack Whitewood and Mhairi Macaulay, who are now 12 years into the Fringe they started from scratch.
Get yourself a reusable Fringe cup, fill it with something from the bar, and go see what magic you can find in a random tent. You won't be disappointed.
- Read more: Ventnor Fringe 2019 gets underway
A summer exhibition is also taking place along the road at Ventnor Botanical Garden:
An event heralded Operation Geranium was attended by Caroline Peel, IW Deputy Lord Lieutenant, and a video produced by Age UK IW was screened to show people what the project is about.
It delivers cheery geraniums to people isolated during the pandemic.
Also at the event, Vectis Radio DJ and presenter Nick Painless interviewed local bands for a future podcast.
Aspire Creative Hub brought together a team of stage production event management co-ordinators, who can use their skills to inspire others to gain industry experience and opportunities.
Charlie Dore returned to a venue she performed at three years ago, with songs from her latest award-winning album Like Animals, playing with multi-instrumentalist Julian Littman of folk rock royalty Steeleye Span.
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