![Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen performing at the 2013 Brighton Fringe Festival](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Mikelangelo_and_the_Black_Sea_Gentlemen_performing_at_the_2013_Brighton_Fringe_Festival.jpg)
Fringe theatre is
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter.
The term comes from the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
.
[Kemp, Robert, ''More that is Fresh in Drama'', Edinburgh Evening News, 14 August 1948] In
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, the fringe are small-scale theatres, many of them located above pubs, and the equivalent to New York's
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the prof ...
theatres and Europe's "free theatre" groups.
In
unjuried
{{unreferenced, date=May 2010
An unjuried or open access art exhibition or festival is one where all submissions are accepted. Within theater, it is often referred to as a fringe festival, following the unjuried Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Histo ...
theatre festivals, also known as fringe festivals or open-access festivals, all submissions are accepted, and sometimes the participating acts may be chosen by lottery, in contrast to
juried festivals in which acts are selected based on their artistic qualities. Unjuried festivals (such as the Edinburgh Fringe,
Edmonton Fringe Festival
The Edmonton International Fringe Festival is an annual arts festival held every August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Produced by the Fringe Theatre Adventures (FTA), it is the oldest and largest fringe theatre festival in North America (based on ...
,
Adelaide Fringe
The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, i ...
, and
Fringe World
Fringe World, formerly Fringe World Festival, is an annual multi-arts fringe festival held in Perth, Western Australia during the city's summer festival season of January/February. The annual program of events features artists and acts from a r ...
) permit artists to perform a wide variety of works.
History
In 1947, eight theatre companies showed up at the
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially classical music) and the performing arts are i ...
, hoping to gain recognition from the mass gathering at the festival. In 1948,
Robert Kemp, a Scottish journalist and playwright, described the situation, "Round the fringe of official Festival drama, there seems to be more private enterprise than before ... I am afraid some of us are not going to be at home during the evenings!".
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
was founded under the name
"Festival Adjuncts", in 1947.
The fringe movement in Britain has been said to start in the 1960s, similar to the United States'
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the prof ...
theatres and Europe's "free theatre" groups. The term came into use in the late 1950s, and the show ''
Beyond the Fringe'' premiered in Edinburgh in 1960, before transferring to
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
and is the
West End. One of the early innovators in fringe theatre was an American bookseller,
James Haynes
James Almand Haynes (10 November 1933 – 6 January 2021) was an American-born figure in the British "underground" and alternative/counter-culture scene of the 1960s. He was involved with the founding of Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre, the pape ...
, who in 1963 created the
Traverse Theatre
The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco.
The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary pla ...
in Edinburgh. Also noted in this period is the
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...
,
Jerzy Grotowski
Jerzy Marian Grotowski (; 11 August 1933 – 14 January 1999) was a Polish theatre director and theorist whose innovative approaches to acting, training and theatrical production have significantly influenced theatre today.
He was born in Rzesz ...
's Theatre of 13 Rows, and
Józef Szajna's Studio Theatre in Warsaw.
The
Adelaide Fringe
The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, i ...
in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, South Australia, now second-largest annual arts festival in the world (after Edinburgh Fringe), started in 1960 as an adjunct to the main
Adelaide Festival of Arts
The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...
.
Haynes, while at the helm of the Traverse, was receiving state support and even got a new theatre in 1969. In 1969, Haynes created the
Arts Lab
The Arts Lab was an alternative arts centre, founded in 1967 by Jim Haynes at 182 Drury Lane, London. Although only active for two years, it was influential in inspiring many similar centres in the UK, continental Europe and Australia, inclu ...
in London, but it only lasted for two years.
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...
along with another American
Charles Marowitz
Charles Marowitz (26 January 1934 – 2 May 2014) was an American critic, theatre director, and playwright, regular columnist on Swans Commentary. He collaborated with Peter Brook at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and later founded and direct ...
opened the
Open Space Theatre
The Open Space Theatre was created by Charles Marowitz and Thelma Holt in 1968.
It began in a basement on Tottenham Court Road in London, then transferred to an art deco post office on the Euston Road in 1976. Thelma attracted a team of voluntee ...
on
Tottenham Court Road
Tottenham Court Road (occasionally abbreviated as TCR) is a major road in Central London, almost entirely within the London Borough of Camden.
The road runs from Euston Road in the north to St Giles Circus in the south; Tottenham Court Road tub ...
in London in 1968. Young British writers, after the
May 1968 events in France
Beginning in May 1968, a period of civil unrest occurred throughout France, lasting some seven weeks and punctuated by demonstrations, general strikes, as well as the occupation of universities and factories. At the height of events, which ha ...
, wrote
agitprop
Agitprop (; from rus, агитпроп, r=agitpróp, portmanteau of ''agitatsiya'', "agitation" and ''propaganda'', "propaganda") refers to an intentional, vigorous promulgation of ideas. The term originated in Soviet Russia where it referred to ...
plays, including
David Hare,
Howard Brenton
Howard John Brenton FRSL (born 13 December 1942) is an English playwright and screenwriter. While little-known in the United States, he is celebrated in his home country and often ranked alongside contemporaries such as Edward Bond, Caryl Chur ...
,
David Edgar.
Meanwhile, in the United States, experimental theatre was growing due to the political protest of the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
.
The Living Theatre
The Living Theatre is an American theatre company founded in 1947 and based in New York City. It is the oldest experimental theatre group in the United States. For most of its history it was led by its founders, actress Judith Malina and painter/po ...
, founded by
Julian Beck
Julian Beck (May 31, 1925 – September 14, 1985) was an American actor, stage director, poet, and painter. He is best known for co-founding and directing The Living Theatre, as well as his role as Reverend Henry Kane, the malevolent preacher i ...
, is considered the leader of the "
flower power
Flower power was a slogan used during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of passive resistance and nonviolence. It is rooted in the opposition movement to the Vietnam War. The expression was coined by the American Beat poet Allen Ginsber ...
" and "hippie" movement.
By the early 1970s, many fringe theatres began to receive small subsidies. After the
1973–74 stock market crash, many fringe companies were forced to close. New playwrights were established at the
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a spa ...
and
King's Head Theatre
The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. It is the second oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2021, Mark Ravenhill became Artistic Director and the theatre focusses on producing LGBTQ ...
, both of whom survived the crash.
7:84 and
Red Ladder Theatre Company
Red Ladder Theatre Company is a national touring theatre company, funded by the Arts Council England and Leeds City Council. It is based at the Yorkshire Dance Centre, Leeds.
The company was founded in London in 1968, during the Vietnam War, as a ...
were some of the surviving touring fringe groups.
Fringe theatres were attractive to people in the 1960s due to their adventurousness but became less wild in the 1970s while the standards of production rose.
In 1982, the first fringe festival in North America was started in Edmonton, Alberta. It was then a theatre component of the larger Summerfest but evolved to become a stand-alone event, the
Edmonton International Fringe Festival
The Edmonton International Fringe Festival is an annual arts festival held every August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Produced by the Fringe Theatre Adventures (FTA), it is the oldest and largest fringe theatre festival in North America (based on ...
, one of the largest annual arts events in Canada and still the largest fringe in North America by attendance. The oldest fringe festival in the United States is Orlando, FL, founded in 1992. There are more fringe festivals in North America than any other continent.
Festival organization
One distinction between fringe festivals and conventional
arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that can encompass a wide range of art forms including music, dance, film, fine art, literature, poetry and isn't solely focused on visual arts. Arts festivals may feature a mixed program that include music, lite ...
s is the method used to choose participants. Typically, conventional festivals use a jury selection process, whereas many fringe festivals do not use a jury process in their selection criteria, hence the descriptor
unjuried
{{unreferenced, date=May 2010
An unjuried or open access art exhibition or festival is one where all submissions are accepted. Within theater, it is often referred to as a fringe festival, following the unjuried Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Histo ...
or open-access. There are exceptions to this; some fringe festivals (e.g.,
New York International Fringe Festival
The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, was a fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It took place over the course of a few weeks in October, spread on more than 20 stages across sev ...
) do employ a jury-based selection process.
All performers are welcome to apply, regardless of their professional or amateur status. No restrictions are made as to the nature, style or theme of the performance, though some festivals have children's areas with appropriate content limitations. Festivals may have too many applicants for the number of available spaces; in this case, applicants are chosen based on an unrelated criterion, such as order of application or a random draw.
The number of performances varies among different fringe festivals. Larger festivals may have thousands of performances (e.g., Edinburgh's 2013 festival had 45,464 performances).
Fringe festivals typically have a common organising group that handles ticketing, scheduling, and some overall promotion (such as a program including all performers). Each production pays a set fee to this group, which usually includes their stage time as well as the organizational elements. The organising group and/or the venues often rely on a large pool of volunteers.
Ticket pricing varies between festivals. At UK fringe festivals, groups can decide their own ticket prices, and some sell tickets at fixed rates in one or two tiers, or in groups of 5 or 10.
Although it is unusual for the organising group to choose any winners of the festival, other organisations often make their own judgements of festival entries
. Productions can be reviewed by newspapers or publications specific to the festival, and awards may be given by certain organisations. Awards or favourable reviews can increase the tickets sales of productions or lead to extra dates being added .
Elements of a typical production
The limitations and opportunities that the fringe festival format presents lead to some common features.
Shows are not judged or juried. Depending on the popularity, some fringe festivals may use a lottery system to determine which shows are selected.
Shows are typically technically sparse. They are commonly presented in shared venues, often with shared technicians and limited technical time, so sets and other
technical theatre
Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery; hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; an ...
elements are kept simple. Venues may be adapted from other uses.
Casts tend to be smaller than mainstream theatre; since many of the performing groups are traveling, and venues (and thus potential income) tend to be fairly small, expenses must usually be kept to a minimum. One-person shows are therefore quite common at fringe festivals.
Fringe festival productions often showcase new scripts, especially ones on more obscure, edgy, or unusual material. The lack of artistic vetting combined with relatively easy entry make risk-taking more feasible.
While most mainstream theatre shows are two or three acts long, taking two to three hours with intermissions, fringe shows tend to be closer to one-hour, single-act productions. The typically lowered ticket prices of a fringe theatre show permit audiences to attend multiple shows in a single evening.
Performers sometimes
billet
A billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, a billet was a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier.
Soldiers are generally billeted in barracks or garrisons when not on combat duty, alth ...
in the homes of local residents, further reducing their costs.
List of fringe festivals
;North America
*
Asheville Fringe Festival — Asheville, NC
*
Atlanta Fringe Festival
The Atlanta Fringe Festival was conceived in 2010 by a small group of art and theatre lovers. The festival debuted in Atlanta, Georgia. May 9–13, 2012. The festival has attracted performers from all over the United States, including actors, danc ...
— Atlanta, GA
*
Atlantic Fringe Festival
The Halifax Fringe Festival, formerly known as the Atlantic Fringe Festival, is held annually in late August and early September in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Since 1991, the festival has been a showcase for non-mainstream theatre. A wide va ...
— Halifax, NS
*
Boulder International Fringe Festival
In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive.
In c ...
- Boulder, CO
*
Calgary Fringe Festival
The Calgary Fringe Festival is an annual Fringe theatre festival in Calgary, Alberta.
History
The earliest Fringe-type drama festival in Calgary was the Plan B Festival, held in 2000 at a variety of locations in both Calgary's downtown and the ...
— Calgary, AB
*
Capital Fringe Festival
The Capital Fringe Festival is a fringe theatre festival held in Washington, DC, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in N ...
— Washington, DC
*
Charm City Fringe Festival
Charm may refer to:
Social science
* Charisma, a person or thing's pronounced ability to attract others
* Superficial charm, flattery, telling people what they want to hear
Science and technology
* Charm quark, a type of elementary particle
* C ...
— Baltimore, MD
*
Chicago Fringe Festival
Chicago Fringe Festival was an annual performing arts festival showcasing traditional and non-traditional performances. CFF aimed to provide a space for artists to produce shows that would not otherwise be seen and a festival that was accessible ...
— Chicago, IL
*
Cincinnati Fringe Festival
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival (Cincy Fringe), produced by Know Theatre of Cincinnati
Know Theatre of Cincinnati is a non-profit theatre company located in the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, which produces contemporary ...
— Cincinnati, OH
Denver Fringe Festival— Denver, CO
*
Edmonton International Fringe Festival
The Edmonton International Fringe Festival is an annual arts festival held every August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Produced by the Fringe Theatre Adventures (FTA), it is the oldest and largest fringe theatre festival in North America (based on ...
— Edmonton, AB
*
Elgin Fringe Festival — Elgin, IL
*
FringePVD FringePVD is a fringe arts and theater festival in Providence, Rhode Island, founded in 2014. In recent years it has been located in the Olneyville neighborhood of the city. To date it is the largest fringe festival in New England.
FringePVD was f ...
— Providence, RI
*
Hamilton Fringe Festival Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
— Hamilton, ON
*
Hollywood Fringe Festival
The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual fringe theatre festival in Hollywood, California. Most indoor venues for the festival are in and around Hollywood Theatre Row, a stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Founder Ben Hill ...
— Los Angeles, CA
*
Festival St-Ambroise Fringe de Montréal — Montréal, QC
*
FRIGID New York
FRIGID New York (formerly the Horse Trade Theater Group) was founded in 1998 in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is located at 85 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and The Bowery. The two theaters in the grou ...
— New York, NY
Fundy Fringe Festival— Saint John, NB
*
Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival
The Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, nicknamed "IndyFringe," is a 10-day showcase of traditional and non-traditional theatre, dance, music, improvisation and a wide range of other performance and visual arts, performed and created by local, n ...
— Indianapolis, IN
*
Island Fringe Festival
The Island Fringe Festival is an independent arts and theatre festival that takes place annually in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The Festival was founded by Sarah Segal-Lazar and Megan Stewart in 2012 with the first festival taking place i ...
— Charlottetown, PE
*
Kansas City Fringe - Kansas City, MO
*
London Fringe Theatre Festival (Ontario)
The London Fringe Theatre Festival is a Canadian annual fringe theatre and related arts festival in London, Ontario. It is credited with triggering a resurgence in local playwriting and performance after the University of Western Ontario cancelled ...
— London, ON
*
Minnesota Fringe Festival — Minneapolis, MN
*
Maui Fringe Festival
The Maui Fringe Festival is an annual alternative theatre festival held in Wailuku, on the island of Maui. This Hawaii festival is part of the Hawai'i Fringe Festival circuit, in conjunction with the annual O'ahu Fringe Festival. The event is orga ...
— Wailuku, HI
*
New Orleans Fringe - New Orleans, LA
*
New York International Fringe Festival
The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, was a fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It took place over the course of a few weeks in October, spread on more than 20 stages across sev ...
— New York, NY
*
O'ahu Fringe Festival
Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O’ ...
— Honolulu, HI
*
On the Edge Fringe Festival
On, on, or ON may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews
* ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin
* ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995
* ''On'' (Gary Glitter album), 2001
* ''On'' (Imperial Teen album), 200 ...
— North Bay, ON
*
Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival
The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival is a 14-day annual arts festival held during the month of May in Orlando, Florida. The festival includes theater, music, dance, and art. It was one of the first American Fringe Festivals and has no ...
— Orlando, FL
*
Ottawa Fringe Festival — Ottawa, ON
Philadelphia Fringe Festival- Philadelphia, PA
*
PortFringe - Maine’s Fringe Festival - Portland, ME
* Rhinoceros Theater Festival --- Chicago, IL
*
Rochester Fringe Festival
The Rochester Fringe Festival, held annually in Rochester, NY since 2012., is one of the three most-attended fringe festivals in the United States. In 2019, the festival attracted more than 100,000 attendees. Held for 12 days in September, the fe ...
— Rochester, NY
*
Rogue Festival — Fresno, CA
*
San Diego International Fringe Festival
The San Diego International Fringe Festival is a non-profit fringe theatre festival project of conTACT ARTS, in association with the Actors Alliance of San Diego, designed to help provide a platform for artists while also helping the community as ...
— San Diego, CA
*
San Francisco Fringe Festival — San Francisco, CA
*
Saskatoon Fringe Theatre Festival — Saskatoon, SK
*
St. Lou Fringe Festival — St. Louis, MO
*
Sault Ste. Marie Fringe North International Fringe Festival
Sault may refer to:
Places in Europe
* Sault, Vaucluse, France
* Saint-Benoît-du-Sault, France
* Canton of Sault, France
* Canton of Saint-Benoît-du-Sault, France
* Sault-Brénaz, France
* Sault-de-Navailles, France
* Sault-lès-Rethel, F ...
— Sault Ste. Marie, ON
*
Theatre Crude Fringe Festival — Oklahoma City, OK http://www.theatrecrude.org/
*
Time-Based Art Festival
The Time-Based Art Festival (TBA) is an annual interdisciplinary art and performance festival presented each September in Portland, Oregon by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA).
History
TBA is modeled on similar European and Aust ...
— Portland, OR
*
Toronto Fringe Festival
The Toronto Fringe Festival is an annual theatre festival, featuring un-juried plays by unknown or well-known artists, taking place in the theatres of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Several productions originally mounted at the Fringe have later been ...
— Toronto, ON
*
Tucson Fringe Festival - Tucson, AZ
*
Vancouver Fringe Festival
The Vancouver Fringe Festival is an annual alternative theatre festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada established in 1985. The event is organized and sponsored by the First Vancouver Theatrespace Society, a volunteer not-for-profit ...
— Vancouver, BC
*
Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival
*
Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival — Winnipeg, MB
;Europe
*
Amsterdam Fringe Festival
*
Bath Fringe Festival
The Bath Fringe Festival is an annual art festival, held in Bath, England.
Bath Fringe was founded in 1981 as a counterbalance to the 'classical'-dominated Bath Music Festival, which some people perceived to be elitist and out-of-touch with w ...
*
Brighton Festival Fringe
Brighton Fringe is an open-access arts festival held annually in Brighton, England. It is the largest annual arts festival in England and one of the largest fringe festivals in the world. The programme of 2018 included 1008 events at over 166 v ...
*
Budapest Fringe Festival
*
Buffer Fringe Festival
Buffer may refer to:
Science
* Buffer gas, an inert or nonflammable gas
* Buffer solution, a solution used to prevent changes in pH
* Buffering agent, the weak acid or base in a buffer solution
* Lysis buffer, in cell biology
* Metal ion buffer
* ...
,
Nicosia
Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
, Cyprus
*
Buxton Festival Fringe
The Buxton Festival is an annual summer festival of opera, music and (since 2000) a literary series, held in Buxton, Derbyshire, England since its beginnings in July 1979. The 2020 festival would have run but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 cri ...
*
Copenhagen Fringe Festival
*
Dublin Fringe Festival
The Dublin Fringe Festival is an annual curated arts festival in Dublin, Ireland focusing mainly on theatre. The festival allows artists to submit their work via an application which is subsequently reviewed by the programme manager. The festiva ...
*
Durham Fringe Festival Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
*Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...
*
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
FringeMi Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, Italy
*
Lahti Fringe Festival
Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...
,
Lahti
Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...
, Finland
*
Limerick Fringe
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
*
London Festival Fringe
The London Festival Fringe is a festival that promotes art and entertainment in London, England. In addition to helping artists and performers stage their work, the festival runs the London Awards for Art and Performance each year in various art ca ...
*
Ludlow Fringe Festival
Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which ...
-
Ludlow
Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The t ...
, England
*
Malvern Fringe Festival
The Malvern Fringe Festival was an arts festival (founded 1977) which took place in Great Malvern, England. The main events of the Malvern Fringe Festival were the annual Malvern May Day and parade, and the annual three-day festival held in Jun ...
- Malvern, England
*
Paris Fringe Festival
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
*
Prague Fringe Festival
The Prague Fringe Festival is an annual event held every May and June in Prague, Czech Republic. It is a fringe festival, on the model of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh F ...
*
Reading Fringe Festival
Reading has had several Fringe Festivals over the years. The first Reading Fringe Festival was started in 2005 in Reading, Berkshire, after a group of several musicians, producers and promoters decided to showcase Reading's musical talent in the ...
*
Windsor Fringe Festival
* Sibiu Fringe Festival, Romania
*
Shaftesbury Fringe Festival
*
Southside Fringe Festival
The Southside Fringe Festival is an annual fringe festival based in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
History
The development of the Southside Fringe Festival began in 2011. Its aim was to broaden the scope of music, comedy, burlesque, cabaret, art and the ...
-
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland
*
Stockholm Fringe Festival -
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, Sweden
*
Gothenburg Fringe Festival -
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
, Sweden
*
Fringe by the Sea -
North Berwick
North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town
A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...
, East Lothian, Scotland
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Ventnor Fringe -
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
UK
;Asia
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Acco Festival of Alternative Israeli Theatre
The Acco Festival of Alternative Israeli Theatre (also Acco Fringe Theatre Festival, Israel Fringe Theatre Festival) is a four-day performing arts festival held annually in the city of Acre, Israel during the Intermediate Days of the Sukkot ...
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Butterworth Fringe Festival
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Manila Fringe Festival
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
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M1 Singapore Fringe Festival
The M1 Singapore Fringe Festival is an annual fringe theatre festival in Singapore. In additional to theatrical performances, it hosts art installations, live music, and a forum. It is organised by The Necessary Stage, a non-profit theatre com ...
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Shenzhen Fringe Festival
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Rainforest Fringe Festival
;Australia
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Adelaide Fringe
The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, i ...
, South Australia
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Anywhere Theatre Festival (Brisbane)
Anywhere Festival is an annual Brisbane based festival for performance anywhere but traditional theatre spaces. The first anywhere-but-in-a-traditional-theatre concept was brought to Brisbane in 2011 by creative director Paul Osuch and his part ...
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Fringe World
Fringe World, formerly Fringe World Festival, is an annual multi-arts fringe festival held in Perth, Western Australia during the city's summer festival season of January/February. The annual program of events features artists and acts from a r ...
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Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
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Melbourne Fringe Festival
The Melbourne Fringe Festival is an annual independent arts festival in Melbourne, Australia, usually over three weeks from late September to early October. Held since 1982, the Festival includes a wide variety of art forms, including theatre, com ...
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The Sydney Fringe
The Sydney Fringe is an alternative arts and culture festival held for the first time in September 2010 in the inner west of Sydney, Australia.
The Fringe is an initiative of the Newtown Entertainment Precinct Association.
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Electrofringe
Electrofringe is a presenting platform for experimental electronic and technology-based art in Australia. Electrofringe is a non-profit arts organisation and annual festival.
Overview
Electrofringe hosts exhibitions and events throughout the ye ...
;New Zealand
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New Zealand Fringe Festival
The New Zealand Fringe Festival is an open access arts festival in Wellington, New Zealand held over several weeks in February and March each year. The 2020 programme marked the festival's 30th anniversary.
Background
The festival was establish ...
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Dunedin Fringe Festival
The Dunedin Fringe Festival, or Dunedin Fringe, is an 11-day fringe arts festival held each March in Dunedin, New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main la ...
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Nelson Fringe Festival
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Couch Soup Fringe Festival
;Africa
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National Arts Festival
The National Arts Festival (NAF) is an annual festival of performing arts in Grahamstown, South Africa. It is the largest arts festival on the African continent and one of the largest performing arts festivals in the world by visitor numbers.
Th ...
- Grahamstown, South Africa
See also
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Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals The Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF) is an international body that promotes and safeguards the ideals and principles of fringe theatre in North America.
History
The 1982 Edmonton International Fringe Festival, modelled after the Edin ...
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Experimental theatre
Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Richard Wagner, Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu Roi, Ubu plays as a rejection of bot ...
References
External links
World Fringe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fringe Theatre
Fringe festivals
Theatre in London
Theatrical genres