September 2016

The South Wedge, home to South & Hickory Place, has so much going on, it can be hard to find a reason to leave. Over the next 10 days, Rochester Fringe will give you 500.

It’s our 5th Fringe!

2016 is the 5th First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival, and it’s doubled in size since the inaugural event. Starting Thursday, September 15th and wrapping up Saturday, September 24th, 500 shows, concerts, and theatrical experiments will be on display at 31 diverse downtown venues. Last year about 65,000 spectators showed up, and that record was made to be broken. Given the great attendance, it’s wise to grab tickets in advance for any shows you absolutely don’t want to miss. A few of the most popular shows have already sold out.

What makes a Fringe?

The Fringe festival model now peppers the globe, but it originated in 1947 in Edinburgh, Scotland, when 8 rogue theatre groups showed up to perform at a completely different festival. Today, the resulting Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival, spanning three weeks in August. Though Fringe Fests differ widely, they do have a few things in common. The Fringe is a decidedly uncensored platform that prioritizes the performing arts. Low fees and lightweight productions make it easy for both performers and spectators to participate.

All shows are original, and the rapid-fire format means that most are minimal and under 60 minutes. The festivals span multiple venues by nature, but Rochester’s approach takes performance-space diversity to another level. Though Rochester Fringe curates headlining acts and some free series, the bulk of the schedule is arranged by the independent venues themselves. It all adds up to creativity run amok!

Shows to Watch Out For

• If free entertainment is what you’re looking for, head to Parcel 5 the first Friday & Saturday (Sept. 16th & 17th) and closed-off Gibbs Street the second. That’s where the biggest, boldest free shows can be found. For a free film, head to the Pedestrian Drive-In. With 170 free performances throughout the week, you can get your fill of performance art without spending a dime.
• Fringe Street Beat, a new all-style dance battle, will make its debut this year on Saturday, September 17th. it’s free to watch and just $5/team to enter. Sign-ups start at 2 pm, trials kick off at 3, and finals will run from 5:45 to 7:15 pm, all at Parcel 5. In between, stay put for SEA (Singular Extreme Actions) by STREB.
• “What happens in the Spiegeltent, stays in the Spiegeltent.” It’s the perfect venue, then, for RuPaul’s Drag Race Fan Favorite Pandora Boxx‘s “Worst Show Ever.” And may no one ever speak of the mystery moves you display during the secret songs of Silent Disco.
• For the darkly nostalgic among us, there’s “Confessions of a Prairie B*tch“ starring the original Nellie Oleson (Sept. 16th-18th), as well as an immersive performance of all the grimmest moments from Grimm’s fairy tales (Sept. 23rd & 24th).