The OffFest is the Offies award for shows at theatre festivals, or theatre shows at general arts festivals.
To be eligible for an OffFest, there needs to be a minimum of 3 performances during the festival.
If your show gets 2 or more 4-5* reviews from accredited reviewers, send the links to these reviews to info@offwestend.com, along with an image for the show and all relevant twitter handles, and we will then confirm an OffFest nomination for the show.
There is a separate set of OffFest awards for each festival. This means that if you get 2 or more 4-5* reviews at one festival and a further set of 4-5* reviews at another festival, your show may then get two separate OffFests. Please note that you cannot combine reviews from different festivals in your submission for an OffFest. The reason for this is so we can, in due course, announce finalists and a winner for each festival, chosen from all the OffFest nominations at that festival
Click HERE to access the latest list of accredited reviewers, whose reviews are automatically eligible. You can invite these reviewers to your show but please note that we cannot guarantee that any particular reviewer(s) will be able to attend. All reviewers officially accredited by the Brighton & Edinburgh Fringe festivals are also accredited for OffFest.
Nominations for 2023 are listed below – for information on past OffFest awards, click the relevant year: 2022 / 2021 / 2020 & 2019
2023
Nominations are listed below – finalists are in blue. Winners will be announced at the Offies Awards Ceremony to be held on 25 February 2024 at the Woolwich Works
- Festivals covered in 2023 were as follows:
- Edinburgh Fringe (August)
- Camden Fringe (August)
- Greater Manchester Fringe (July)
- Brighton Fringe (May-June)
- Vault Festival (Jan-Mar)
EDINBURGH FRINGE (August)
The finalists are listed below, in the five categories agreed for this year, with the winners in red:
MUSICALS & CIRCUS
Chriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical / Pleasance Courtyard
Godfather Death: A Grimm’s Musical / Greenside
I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical / Gilded Balloon at the Museum
LGBT
52 Monologues for Young Transsexuals / Pleasance Courtyard
An Asian Queer Story: Coming Out to Dead People / Just the Tonic at the Mash House
Boys in the Buff / C Venues
NEW WRITING
Character Flaw / Greenside at Nicolson Square
Distant Memories of the Near Future / Summerhall
Mark Thomas’s ‘England & Son’ / Summerhall
SOLO PERFORMANCE
Beautiful Evil Things / Pleasance Dome
SAD-VENTS / Underbelly
The Insider / Teater Katapult / Zoo
THEATRE
Bill’s 44th / Underbelly Cowgate
Diana the Untold and Untrue Story / Pleasance Dome
Wiesenthal / Pleasance Courtyard
CAMDEN FRINGE (August)
Nominations are as follows – finalists in blue, and winners in red
A Caravan Named Desire / Camden People’s Theatre
Assessment Centre / Etcetera Theatre
Bareback Kings / Hope Theatre
Bunny Bunny / Lion & Unicorn
Gaslight / Etcetera Theatre
La Cenerentola / Opera Kipling / Upstairs at the Gatehouse
Maybe I Do / Hen & Chickens
Neverland / Act II / Lion & Unicorn
Ready Steady Crooks / Hope Theatre
Runaway / Rosemary Branch
Scavengers / Etcetera Theatre
The Emperor’s New Clothes / Canal Cafe Theatre
True West / Luder Theatre Co
Twisted Tales / Cockpit Theatre
Woman. Life. Freedom. / Nalini Theatre Co
GREATER MANCHESTER FRINGE (July)
Nominations are as follows – finalists in blue::
Arisha’s OK Cabaret: An Operatic Extravaganza / To Bee Productions / Sonata Piano & Cabaret Lounge
Baggy Bra / Team Baggy Bra / Squad House, Stockport
Bosie / Northern Rep / The Fitzgerald
Buzzing / Debbie Bird / Kings Arms Salford
Enough / Moonstone Theatre Co / Kings Arms Salford
Les & Ali’s Big Balearic Adventure / MultiMedea / Kings Arms Salford
Outside In / Ilaria Passeri / Gulliver’s Pub
Transparency / Breakdown Theatre Co / 53:two
Virtual Dust / Turtle Soup Theatre / The Fitzgerald
Wasteman / Joe Leather / Kings Arms Salford
What Happened to Connie Converse / Idol Complex / Kings Arms Salford
BRIGHTON FRINGE (May-June)
Nominations are as follows – finalists in blue::
2145 / Lantern Theatre
Bloody Influencers / Sweet Venues Brighton
Chemistry / Paradigm Film and Theatre
Esther’s Revenge / Pawstudios Africa
Experiment Human / Hooky Productions
Havisham / Emul8 Theatre
HóPe / The Lantern Theatre
Lord God / Foundry Group
Miss Margarida’s Way / 5Go Theatre Co
My First Time was in a Car Park / Unzipped Arts
Mythos: Ragnarök / Mythological Theatre
Rambunctious Scallywag
Surfing the Holyland / Slackline Prodns
That’s Not My Name / Rotunda Theatre
The Burning of a Sicilian Whore
The Heist / Clown for Life
The Last Night Out / Three Coin Theatre
Unlocked / Nova Grace Prodns
Unwanted Objects / Sight at Night Prodns
Who Is No. 1? / Foundry Group
THE VAULT FESTIVAL (Jan-March)
Nominations are as follows – finalists in blue::
A Manchester Anthem / Lyle Productions & Ramblemill / Cavern at the Vaults
Bloody Mary / Part of the Main and Part of the Night / The Flair Ground
Borders / Junction Theatre & Performance / Crescent at the Vaults
Buff / Scott Le Crass and Ben Fensome / Crescent at the Vaults
Butchered / Expial Atrocious / Pit at the Vaults
Gay Witch Sex Cult / Andrew Doherty / Studio at the Vaults
How We Begin / Surfacing Acts Theatre / Pit at the Vaults
In Clay / Design & Canvas Co / Cage at the Vaults
Locomotive For Murder / Pinch Punch / Crypt at the Vaults
Post Sex Spagbol / Thistle & Rose Theatre / Studio at the Vaults
Siapa Yang Bawa Melayu Aku Pergi? (who took my malay away) / Faizal Abdullah / Network Theatre
Sons / Concept Theatre / The Vaults
The Ballerina / Khaos / Cavern at the Vaults
The Silver Bell / Alan Flanagan, Brendan O’Rourke, Dan Hutton / Pit at the Vaults
Thirsty / Bruised Sky Productions / Cage at the Vaults
Wasteman / Joe Leather / Pit at the Vaults
2022
In 2022, the following festivals were covered:
-
-
- Voila! Europe (Nov 2022) at the Cockpit Theatre, London
- Greater Manchester Fringe (Sept 2022)
- Edinburgh Fringe (Aug 2022) – various venues
- Camden Fringe (Aug 2022) – various venues
- Brighton Fringe (May-June 2022)
-
Click HERE for 2022 nominations, finalists and winners.
2021
In 2021, the following festivals were covered:
-
-
- Voila! Europe (Nov 2021) at the Cockpit Theatre, London
- Greater Manchester Fringe (Sept 2021)
- Edinburgh Fringe (Aug 2021) – various venues
- Camden Fringe (Aug 2021) – various venues
- Footprints Festival (May-July 2021) at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London
- Brighton Fringe (May-June 2021) – focusing on online theatre
- Living Record Festival (Feb 2021)
-
Click HERE for 2021 nominations, finalists and winners.
2019 & 2020
This was introduced in July 2019, originally for the Camden Fringe. It was extended in 2019 to include the Voila Europe! festival who also participated in 2020. Click HERE for 2019 & 2020 nominations, finalists and winners.