Bath Fringe swings into gear this month and a mighty fine-looking charabanc of music, comedy, theatre and loads else it looks to be. Velimir Ilic looks under the bonnet.

After last year's prodigious line-up (folk colossus Martin Carthy, Bristol Feral Choir, Berlin pianist Nils Frahm, nofitstate’s contemporary circus, The Blockheads – still fabulous, sans Dury), can this year's Bath Fringe possibly go one better? On paper at least, its heaving programme – stretched across 17 days – looks to be just the ticket, promising a colourful hit of goodly music, comedy, theatre and visual arts (see below).

Bath has always known how to party: from the ancient Temple festivals (you gotta love those debauched Romans) to the pomp and ceremony of Edgar’s coronation in 973 through to the Walcot Festivals of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Fringe’s roots are clear to see.

But it was in the late 1990s that things really began to swing, and – built on adventurous programming – the Fringe began to cultivate a real identity. Since then, it has grown exponentially year-on-year: jostling for space in the UK’s crowded festival calendar, Bath’s annual shindig has asserted itself remarkably well, and is now something of an identifiable brand in its own right.

“I think it’s because it’s quite well rooted in Bath,” says Fringe organiser and overlord Steve Henwood. “I’m a great believer in that being important for festivals. The Fringe has always been about people in the city showing off what they do. It’s different from putting on a festival in a field, or a festival with a director in another part of the country. Bath Fringe is very much Bath-connected.”

In truth, it’s something of a freeform beast, encompassing all manner of performances, entertainments and exhibitions. The dizzying array of acts this year fair takes your breath away (more of that shortly), but Henwood’s commitment to keeping it local provides a sturdy ballast. “There is something new this year called ‘pop-up’, which is going to be a lot of young, mostly local bands putting themselves on in venues. It’s a very grass roots thing, a direct response to local musicians wanting to be part of the festival.

“Another important strand this year is ‘Interventions’: several of the things within that are very local. It’s about putting arts on in places you wouldn’t expect to find it. It’s a common enough festival tactic, but something that we’ve always liked doing.”

Driven by an ‘alternative’ ethos, the Fringe has traditionally covered a diverse range of bases. “Stuff that we do tends to become mainstream, which means we have to keep looking for the next big thing,” says Henwood. “We have to stay connected to [being alternative], because otherwise we would just roll over and die. Because we have no money, we look at the alternative or up-and-coming artists almost out of necessity. The [combined] contribution from the alternative and popular arts is really important to a cultural city like Bath, and the Fringe should reflect that.”

He has a point. But the success of previous performers such as Bill Bailey, Ed Byrne and even jazz imp Jamie Cullum proves that the Fringe can be a huge springboard. More importantly, the smattering of more established acts adds flesh to the festival’s bones.

For starters, the comedy bill is a real tickle-fest. Edinburgh Fringe favourite John Christopher Wood kicks off with offbeat musings on “sin, bodily fluids and the secret life of birds” (‘The Naked Truth’, 19 & 20 May, Natural Theatre Studio, 7.30pm, £10); at the more refined end, the legacy of Miles Kington’s Franglais looms large in ‘Anglo-Franco Follies’ (29 May, Spiegeltent Garden Stage, 2pm, £5), a sample of the British humorist’s comic language sketches.

For sheer crowd-pleasing bluster, towering We Are Klang/‘Inbetweeners’ star Greg Davies is hard to resist (‘Firing Cheeseballs At A Dog’, 2 June, Komedia, 8pm, £15). After an acclaimed debut at Edinburgh last year, the “fat Rik Mayall” is very much on the up: expect shouty, bizarre and infectiously puerile reflections on schooldays, strange parents and the downsides of being a drama teacher. Old hand Rory Bremner will no doubt be mugging away too, armed with trusty satirical barbs (31 May, Spiegeltent, £18/£16, 8.30pm); he’ll be joined by doyenne of comedy Hattie Hayridge and Welsh stand-up Ian Shaw.

Theatre also pushes the envelope: ‘Engage’ (27/28 May, Theatre Royal, 8pm, £10/£7) is an exciting premise that begins with an empty page and a bare stage. 24 hours later, with any luck, six new short plays will have been penned and turned into something eminently watchable by an adrenaline-fuelled crew of writers, directors and actors. Traditionalists might prefer The Bard’s mirthful ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ (28 May, Botanical Gardens, 3pm, 7.30pm, £14.50/£8.50), performed alfresco by all-male Shakespeare troupe The Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

The spine of the Fringe is undoubtedly its multi-pronged take on music, and there’s a pronounced orchestral vibe this year. Tcha Limberger’s Budapest Gypsy Orchestra (28 May, Spiegeltent, 8.30pm, £12/£10) gathers a smattering of Budapest’s hottest musicians for a spot of Hungarian-styled gypsy jazz, no doubt delivered at its customary furious pace.

A blast of sunny horns and good-time klezmer is the order of the day for Boxcar Aldous Huxley’s mini-ensemble (29 May, The Bell, 1pm, free), while CW Stoneking and the Primitive Horn Orchestra (2 June, Spiegeltent, 8.30pm, £12/£10) do their artful melange of bluesy, big band swing, imbued with sepia-tinted jazz and just a hint of Waits-ian swagger; Mark Lamarr and BBC 6 dude Tom Ravenscroft are both huge fans.

Not, as you might think, a pungent Cornish cheese, Devon Sproule (29 May, Spiegeltent, 8pm, £13) is actually a Canadian singer of some repute, her sparse, country-hued melodies shot through with slinky jazz finesse; heartbreaking stuff it is, too. Surely though, this is Robyn Hitchcock’s moment. The former Soft Boys singer’s surreal, quintessentially English whimsy owes much to rock mavericks such as Syd Barrett, John Lennon and Roy Harper. It’ll be interesting to see how Hitchcock and his Imaginary Band interpret Captain Beefheart’s landmark 'Clear Spot' album (5 June, Spiegeltent), by far the most commercial offering from the good Cap’n (check ‘Big Eyed Beans From Venus’: wild, wayward genius). A timely tribute, given the passing of the Mr. Beefheart himself late last year.

There are plenty of other distractions to dip into: cabaret, the traditional Bedlam Sunday (5 June, Kingsmead Square), a vintage fair, DJs, even a classic 1950s and 60s car show at the American Museum. Whatever your artistic whim, you're more than likely to stumble across some rather splendid entertainment.

Next year and beyond, there are plans to encourage more public art around Bath, making use of its unusual architectural nooks and crannies, and also to attract marquee names from classical, jazz and popular music. There is also the worry that with the sheer volume of sterling entertainment on offer, the Fringe is making a rod for its own back; in future, people will always expect more, but this is meat and drink to an experienced arts warhorse like Henwood. “It’s important to keep trying to out-do ourselves [year on year] – promoters always want to come up with some hitherto unheard of act that will make people go ‘Wow’.”

On the seen

Curated for your chin-stroking pleasure, a host of shows and interventions reflect Bath’s lively contemporary art scene. Check out our top picks (unless stated otherwise, all events take place at the FAB Officers’ Club, Stall Street, open 10am to 6pm daily):

• 'The Collective' and 'Universals' exhibitions consider the act (and art) of collecting. The former features God-like photographer Martin Parr, discussing his passion for motorway memorabilia (Holburne Museum, 31 May, 7.30pm); the latter explores the notion of photographer as collator.

 • 'We Live in Public' (The Officer's Club, 27 May-12 June) Artists respond to society’s burgeoning surveillance culture via installation, sculpture and photography. Big Bro’s watchin’ ya!

• ‘Camper Obscura’ (Stall St, 4 June, 10am-6pm; Kingsmead Sq, 5 June, 12noon-6pm) FOTONOW’s mobile camera obscura takes it to the streets, presenting alternative views of Bath.

 • ‘Real Bath Art Prize’ (St Michaels Church, 28 May-3 June) Just what it says on the tin – artworks and photography depicting ‘real’ Bath in its picture postcard and warts-and-all glory.

• ‘FAB Art Fair’ (Kingsmead Sq, 5 June, 12noon-6pm) Plenty of bargains (but no dissected cattle, we fear) to be had from local up-and-coming contemporary artists.

BATH FRINGE RAN FROM FRI 27 MAY-SUN 12 JUNE. SEE OUR LISTINGS FOR FULL DETAILS. FFI: WWW.BATHFRINGE.CO.UK

Copyright Velimir Ilic 2011