Year after year, we bring the world here.
Since debuting in 2012, the Fringe has drawn more than 750,000 visitors from all over the world to more than 5,000 diverse performances and events. In fact, Rochester’s not-for-profit Fringe has become one of the largest and most successful fringe festivals in the nation, the largest multidisciplinary performing arts festival in New York State, and one of the region’s most anticipated festivals each year.
“One of the Country’s More Prominent Multidisciplinary Events.”
That’s what the New York Times had to say about us in a major profile feature this past September. Read all about it here.
So Much to See and Do!
Fringe will celebrate its 13th festival in September 2024 with the spirit of creativity on full display. Join us in and around Rochester for comedy, theatre, dance, music, film, and whatever else you can imagine—and so much more!
Born in Scotland. Raised in Rochester.
Storytime: In 1947, eight theatre groups crashed the newly established Edinburgh International Festival. Uninvited, the groups performed anyway on the edges of the festival’s venues, and the Fringe was born with that initial act of defiance. Today, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is known as “the largest show on earth” with thousands of shows each August. The enthusiasm for the Fringe concept has spread to the U.S. and around the globe. Rochester’s Fringe is among 250 in the world and about 50 across the nation.
A one-of-a-kind for Rochester.
Venues and acts radiate out into the city in every direction. One Fringe Place, across from the Eastman Theatre, serves as a hub for nightly indoor and outdoor shows, food trucks, a bar, and a beautiful Spiegelgarden.
And the special way the Fringe lineup gets built each year is becoming the envy of other festivals, with its unique, bifurcated style. “Bifurcated”? Wait, before you Google that: It’s simply how we describe the dual nature of Rochester’s Fringe. Organizers present a handful of special events, but the vast majority are curated by the venues themselves from artists’ applications. That’s why the lineup is so astoundingly diverse and creative. Why you’ll see surprising new performances here for the first time. And why the choices for entertainment are vast.
Our festival has come to be known as “The Rochester Model” by the more than 200 fringe festivals around the world for its annual, free, outdoor spectacle performance by international artists. These immersive, often jaw-dropping experiences draw thousands of attendees, providing unparalleled access to the arts.
Grand Highlights from Fringes Past.
2012 and 2013: Renowned aerialists BANDALOOP dance up the side the 24-story Five Star Plaza highrise at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park at Manhattan Square
2014: CIRCUS ORANGE comes to Martin Luther King, Jr. Park at Manhattan Square
2015: GROUNDED AERIAL has the city staring skyward
2016: NYC’s STREB Extreme Action Company performs at Parcel 5; Patton Oswalt returns
2017: U.S. premiere tour of France’s Plasticiens Volants dazzles Parcel 5, John Mulaney sells out Kodak Hall
2018: Eddie Izzard is comedy headliner; MASSAOKE rocks Parcel 5 in its North American debut
2019: Plasticiens Volants & MASSAOKE return with premieres; Mike Birbiglia makes Fringe debut
2020: Fringe at Home! The experience featured over 170 online productions from the Rochester area, the region, and around the world.
2021: Celebrating a decade of Fringe with the mini-music festival SMOKESTACKS featuring JOYWAVE.
2022: Bounced back from the pandemic with shows in 34 Rochester-area venues. Highlights included BANDALOOP and the debut of The Flying Espanas in a death-defying show at Parcel 5.
2023: U.S premiere tour of the incredible EXIT by French company Cirque Inextremiste, featuring a full-sized hot air balloon. Plus Tig Notaro, a world premiere by Circolombia, Craig’s Walsh’s 3D projections Monuments, and incredible shows across all venues.
Where credit’s due.
Several of Rochester’s leading cultural institutions had a hand in making the Rochester Fringe happen, including Geva Theatre Center, George Eastman Museum and Garth Fagan Dance, as well as emerging groups such as PUSH Physical Theatre and Method Machine. The Board of Directors includes representatives from the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC, Boylan Code LLC, and the Eastman School of Music. The Fringe is a proud member of the U.S. Association of Fringe Festivals.
