Idiot flytipper gives opportunity for old joke to resurface (see picture caption).
Old joke
Scenes from the 2026 Wanstead Fringe, II
Some of the activities from the second week of this year’s Fringe. With just a few days to go, tickets for some events are still available. Full details at wansteadfringe.org
Scenes from the 2026 Wanstead Fringe, I
The first week of the Wanstead Fringe has been a blast, with theatre, music, talks and walks all under way. Here’s a taste of what people have been enjoying.
Jon Howells Trio joined by star guitarist Deirdre Cartwright
A taste of Samuele Bianchi at St Mary’s
Highlights for the next few days include:
The return of guitarist Peter Black at St Gabriel’s
The almighty open air cinema, the KINEMA at the Wanstead Cricket Club’s Overton Drive ground
Jazz Vespers at Christ Church
Details of these and other events are available at wansteadfringe.org
The talks of the town
Alongside the music and theatre of the Wanstead Fringe, the range of talks is a real strength and this year is no exception.
On Monday, multi-award-winning journalist Peter Geoghegan, who lives locally, will be talking to Lord Victor Adebowale about his work. At times it has seemed Peter is one of the only journalists working now who is being really effective at holding power to account – and what makes it even more amazing is that he does it largely through his Substack, Democracy for Sale.
Earlier this year he was the winner of the Paul Foot award for investigative journalism for his work exposing how wealth, data and lobbying are changing politics without most people even noticing.
On Wednesday the talk about the story behind the Coin-Op factory on Nelson Road is completely sold out, but don’t despair, there will be more chances in future to hear the tales and see the pictures.
Slightly further ahead, on Monday 14th, in Wanstead Goes to Hollywood, local history Greg Roberts will be telling the fascinating tale of how Hollywood star Greer Garson had her roots right here and kept loyal to them even when she was world famous.
On Tuesday 15th, there is a live recording of the What To Do About podcast, in which Aldersbrook’s Lord Victor Adebowale and Peter Holbrook take a subject and work out what needs to be done.
And on Thursday 17th there is a discussion called The News from Wanstead in which local experts will discuss with Wansteadium’s Giles Wilson the decline in local news, what it means for our history, our politics and our identity. Can anything be done to recover a truly effective local press? If you’re into journalism, politics or community this will prove to be a fascinating debate.
As ever, tickets for these events are available through the Wanstead Fringe website.
Taste of Fringe theatre
Wanstead theatre writer Camille Leadbeater has started her annual foray into interviews and reviews of plays showing at this year’s Wanstead Fringe. She publishes her reports at CamilleReviews.com
Already this year she has a series of Q&As with the teams behind several of the plays – including:
Beyond this Place and Window of Opportunity
An Evening with Jack the Ripper
Tickets for these and all plays at this year’s Fringe are available here.
The sound of music is approaching
Wanstead Fringe programmes are now being received on doormats across Wanstead, Aldersbrook, Snaresbrook, Bushwood and parts of South Woodfoord, and bookings are in full flow.
By this time next week the first events will have taken place, including the traditional eve-of-fringe concert at St Mary’s Church, this year again featuring international opera star Lucy Crowe, balladeer Joe Walters and possibly the rest of Walters clan too. There will be a bar and tickets are available below – it’s definitely one not to be missed.
Next weekend also sees the first plays of the season, both taking place in the Wanstead Curtain. Greek Nightmare is an original play brought by the team who last year memorably staged Quiet Light. You can read more about it here:
There is a busy week lined up with parties, music, workshops and more, including plays suitable for children. You can see it all on the Fringe website here.
If you have friends living outside the delivery area, you can help the success of the Wanstead Fringe by letting them know about what’s going on.