Be a Fringe Artist 2025

Applications OPEN - Deptford X Fringe 2025

This year’s festival starts on Friday 11 July & ends on Sunday 27 July 2025

We’re delighted to invite you to apply for the 2025 Deptford X Fringe!

Deadline for Applications: Sunday 4 May (midnight)

The application form will take around 30-45mins to complete. You can save it and return to it later.

If you need any support with your application, please come to one of our Fringe Meet-Ups or email admin@deptfordx.org

 

FAQs

Who can apply?

The Fringe is primarily aimed at artists and groups who are active in our local borough of Lewisham. We welcome contributions from visual artists of any and every kind: amateurs or professionals, trained or self taught, emerging or established.

Deptford X is free to apply to.

What questions does the application form ask?

The application form asks about:

  • You and your proposed work, including a short description, long description and images of your proposed work
  • Your venue
  • Your open and close times
  • Monitoring information

Where can I stage my project?

All Fringe projects should be at a venue within reasonable walking distance of Deptford train station, which we think is about 750m. It is up to the Fringe artists to find a venue themselves, though we can offer support at our Meet-Ups, and we are trying to secure some larger venues for groupings of Fringe projects. Venues must be safe for artists and visitors.

In the past, artists have exhibited work in shop windows, libraries, roundabouts, public walls and squares, railway arches, pubs, cafes, churches, community centres, railway stations, rooftops, bin lorries, billboards, restaurants, cinemas, cellars… the list is almost endless. For safety reasons, people’s homes as venues will not be accepted.

Are there any criteria my project must meet?

By being part of the Fringe, you’re committing to:

  • Staging your project within reasonable walking distance of Deptford train station (about 750m maximum).

  • Take responsibility for insuring your project, such as through public liability insurance (we recommend a-n membership for this – https://www.a-n.co.uk).

  • Take responsibility for finding a venue for your project. We are able to offer support with this. If your project takes place in public space, you must ask the council for permission. Again, please contact us if you need support with this.

  • Complete a risk assessment which you will submit to us by Friday 20 June.

  • Provide feedback, visitor numbers, and where possible, audience feedback.

We reserve the right to decline any project that we deem discriminatory, offensive or contrary to our values of learning, care, respect, openness and equality.

 

Struggling to get started? Take a look at our top tips. 

Our Top tips:

1. Deciding on a venue

Think about:
–     The size of your work and the logistics of moving it.
–     What type of venue do you think it would suit? A public place down the high street, or if you want wall space maybe a bookshop or a bar? If you’re leading a workshop, perhaps a community cafe?
–     What type of venue aligns well with your work? How can the work be beneficial to the venue too, will it for example encourage new audiences to come to their space?
–     Take a walk down Deptford High Street or around New Cross for a bit of research.
–     Be sure to look at our list of fringe venues from Deptford X 2023 to see if any catch your eye! If it’s confirmed early on, or you know of other venues that may be of interest to artists let us know and we can update this spreadsheet.

2. Approaching the venue

– FRINGE VENUE HANDBOOK 2025 – Show this document to your potential venue so they know what to expect. You can collect a printed copy of this if you do not have access to a printer, along with posters for your venue every Tuesday from DX at Lewisham Arthouse.

–     You might need to email or call them, or if you can go in person!
–     Maybe take some pictures of your work so you can show them what you are proposing.
–     We would recommend making contact as soon as you can, so they also have time to think about it before the deadline. This will also give you enough time to reach out to another venue if you can’t show your work at a particular space.
–     Agree where it will go and confirm the opening hours.

Email us to let us know if you’re having any problems so we can support you.

Fringe Applications OPEN!!!!