A new mini-festival which began at one of the UK’s biggest rock festivals is coming to Brighton Fringe for the first time this year.
Caravanserai, which features bars, stalls and fairground rides built in repurposed caravans, started at Camp Bestival in 2013.
This year, it is set to pitch up with two theatre venues on the grass north of St Peter’s Church, just south of The Level.
The Warren will not be returning after its parent company, Otherplace Productions, went into voluntary liquidation.
Brighton Fringe CEO Julian Caddy said: “We are delighted to partner with Caravanserai on this new and exciting project. Brighton Fringe intends this venue to be another hub for the festival in the Valley Gardens area alongside Brighton Spiegeltent.
“The venue will be a collaborative space where all venues and participants can come together, community groups and charities can benefit from the Brighton Fringe platform, and our audience can discover some of the best live performances from across the world”.
The site will be free to enter, with street food stalls to enjoy, a dedicated family area for children, secret spots to be discovered and a Brighton Fringe box office on-site.
Caravanserai will host two theatre venues. The larger of the two is a 220-seater big top, Luna Parc, showcasing theatre, circus and cabaret, with aerial capacity and a late-night music programme supported by Continental Drifts and including programming by Komedia and Laughing Horse Comedy.
The smaller venue is a bespoke 50-seater bandstand venue, Junk Poet’s, with intimate comedy, spoken word and theatre events.
Artist-founder Pete Bateman said: “We can’t wait to come to Brighton this May and host many of the incredible acts and producers involved in Brighton Fringe.
“We’ve wanted to get Caravanserai out on the road for a few years now, and when the opportunity to bring it all to Brighton cropped up, we knew we had to do it. We are looking forward to sharing our world with a new audience and watching some great shows.”
Programme highlights include Mythos: Ragnarok; three-man comedy group, Police Cops; and a weekend music takeover 11 – 14 May, including Carnival Collective, a Rockinghorse Charity Rave and programming by Continental Drifts.
There will also be interactive walkabout performances, a busking stage for Brighton Fringe acts from across the festival and surprise late-night musical guests.
Tickets go on sale during the second release of Brighton Fringe tickets on 17 February 2023.
Caravanserai will open its doors to the public on the first day of Brighton Fringe 2023, Friday 5 May, and operate every day until the end of the festival, Sunday 4 June 2023.
