Buffer Fringe 2017 

The fourth edition of Buffer Fringe Festival was organized under the artistic direction of Charalambia Theophanous and took place between the 8th and the 11th of November 2017, in Old City Nicosia. The Festival took place in several non-theatrical venues and public spaces across the divide: in Garage, Faneromeni Square, Selimiye Square, Arasta Square, Bedesten and Bandabulya.

All activities in the festival programme were open to public, accessible to all and free of charge. The audience had the chance to enjoy 14 unique performances in total in various genres including, dance, theatre, music, painting, and installations. In addition to 7 local performances from all over Cyprus, there were 7 international performances visiting Buffer Fringe Festival from Spain, Germany, Ireland, Japan, United Kingdom and Greece.

For the first time in the Festival’s history, two open calls were launched separetely for local and international performances. It was also the first edition where “works in progress” were showcased as a different category and received support from the organization team in developing their work for the festival. With this edition, Buffer Fringe Festival started partnerships with other Fringe festivals, such as the Stockholm Fringe Festival, Istanbul Fringe and the Nordic Fringe Network which would materialize further in the upcoming editons.

Buffer Fringe 2017 was the first edition of the Festival to receive international recognition from the European Festivals Association with the “Remarkable Festival” label and run as a laureate for the EFFE (Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe) award. This edition was also locally supported by the Stelios Award from the Stelios Foundation.