The seventh annual KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival will host more than 500 performances in and around downtown Rochester. The Fringe’s official website is rochesterfringe.com, where you can find a full schedule of events, purchase tickets, and get the latest information. The Fringe also has a handy app available on Google Play and Apple App Stores.
Venues
One Fringe Place
The dazzling hub of the Fringe, One Fringe Place (corner of East Main and Gibbs Streets) houses the Spiegeltent and Spiegelgarden, the Fringe box office and information booth, ATMs, food trucks, and several shows throughout the event.
The Spiegelgarden will host the site-specific shows “Bushwhacked Backyard,” “Dashboard Dramas V,” and “Complimentary Heckling,” as well as the Ask Us Anything Booth, the Immersive Igloo, and the Pedestrian Drive-In.
Across the street is Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, where comedian Eddie Izzard will perform Friday, September 21, at 7 p.m. Tickets are already sold out. Next door, the Gospel Sunday program will take place in Kilbourn Hall (26 Gibbs Street) on Sunday, September 16, 2 p.m. Free and appropriate for all ages.
Outdoor venues
Parcel 5 (next to One East Avenue) is the location for the first weekend of Friday and Saturday on the Fringe, a free program featuring performances by Massaoke and a lot of local bands. Friday and Saturday, September 14 and 15, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The second weekend of Friday and Saturday on the Fringe, Gibbs Street (between East Avenue and East Main Street) will be filled with free music — including The Uptown Groove, acapella groups The Yellow Jackets, Vocal Point, and Proof of Purchase; Girl Named Genny, Gold Koa, and Roses & Revolutions — site-specific performances, public art, food, and an outdoor bar. Friday, September 21, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, September 22, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Part of that second weekend, the Fringe Street Beat dance competition is back — and with a cash prize of $1,500 for the team with the best moves. Saturday, September 22. Preliminary rounds start at noon; and finals run from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free to watch and appropriate for all ages. If you want to compete, registration is now open at rochesterfringe.com and costs $5 per team.
Neighborhood venues
Some locations host several venues, so be sure to check show information for specifics
The Avyarium 274 North Goodman Street
Blackfriars Theatre 795 East Main Street
Central Library 115 South Avenue
Eastman School of Music 26 Gibbs Street
Garth Fagan Dance Studio 50 Chestnut St.
Geva Theatre Center 75 Woodbury Blvd.
Java’s Café 16 Gibbs Street
The Little Theatre 240 East Avenue
Lyric Theatre 440 East Avenue
MuCCC 142 Atlantic Avenue
School of the Arts 45 Prince Street
Writers & Books 740 University Avenue
Tickets
Fringe shows are separately ticketed and prices vary from program to program. All tickets can be purchased online at rochesterfringe.com; by phone at 957-9837; in person at all Fringe venues starting one hour prior to the performance; and in person at the Fringe Box Office in One Fringe Place. Many performances will fill up quick, so it’s recommended you buy tickets in advance.
There are also around 150 free shows at this year’s Fringe, including Friday and Saturday on the Fringe at Parcel 5, and performances on Gibbs Street during the second weekend. To explore the free performances, go to rochesterfringe.com, click “Find a show,” and look for the “Only free shows” filter option.
Parking
Convenient parking for the East End venues can be found in the East End parking garage at the corner of Scio Street and East Avenue. Additional parking can be found in the Washington Square Garage (111 Woodbury Boulevard), Court Street Garage (194 Court Street), Sister Cities Garage (28 North Fitzhugh Street), and One HSBC Plaza (100 Chestnut Street). Daily parking at each of these locations costs $7 per car. Also be on the lookout for street parking or spots in surface lots throughout the neighborhood.
The Fringe is a pedestrian and bike-friendly event. There will be plenty of bike parking at One Fringe Place.
Do Fringe with CITY
For all of CITY’s Fringe information, check out rochestercitynewspaper.com to get the online version of this guide plus our daily Fringe Blog. Each day, CITY’s critics will offer up reviews and photos of the previous night’s performances, and you can post your own thoughts in the comments section. New blogs will be up by 7 a.m. each morning of the festival. We’ll also post updates on our Facebook page (facebook.com/CITYNewspaper), on Twitter (@roccitynews), and on Instagram (@roccitynews).
CITY will again host Trivia CITY during Fringe on Wednesday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Spiegelgarden. The trivia night will focus on arts and culture (with rounds specifically about Rochester and the Fringe), and is free. Appropriate for ages 18 and older. There is no sign-up, but teams cannot be larger than six people.
To let us know how your Fringe is going, use the hashtag #fringeCITY on social media.
Venues
One Fringe Place
The dazzling hub of the Fringe, One Fringe Place (corner of East Main and Gibbs Streets) houses the Spiegeltent and Spiegelgarden, the Fringe box office and information booth, ATMs, food trucks, and several shows throughout the event.
The Spiegelgarden will host the site-specific shows “Bushwhacked Backyard,” “Dashboard Dramas V,” and “Complimentary Heckling,” as well as the Ask Us Anything Booth, the Immersive Igloo, and the Pedestrian Drive-In.
Across the street is Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, where comedian Eddie Izzard will perform Friday, September 21, at 7 p.m. Tickets are already sold out. Next door, the Gospel Sunday program will take place in Kilbourn Hall (26 Gibbs Street) on Sunday, September 16, 2 p.m. Free and appropriate for all ages.
Outdoor venues
Parcel 5 (next to One East Avenue) is the location for the first weekend of Friday and Saturday on the Fringe, a free program featuring performances by Massaoke and a lot of local bands. Friday and Saturday, September 14 and 15, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The second weekend of Friday and Saturday on the Fringe, Gibbs Street (between East Avenue and East Main Street) will be filled with free music — including The Uptown Groove, acapella groups The Yellow Jackets, Vocal Point, and Proof of Purchase; Girl Named Genny, Gold Koa, and Roses & Revolutions — site-specific performances, public art, food, and an outdoor bar. Friday, September 21, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, September 22, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Part of that second weekend, the Fringe Street Beat dance competition is back — and with a cash prize of $1,500 for the team with the best moves. Saturday, September 22. Preliminary rounds start at noon; and finals run from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free to watch and appropriate for all ages. If you want to compete, registration is now open at rochesterfringe.com and costs $5 per team.
Neighborhood venues
Some locations host several venues, so be sure to check show information for specifics
The Avyarium 274 North Goodman Street
Blackfriars Theatre 795 East Main Street
Central Library 115 South Avenue
Eastman School of Music 26 Gibbs Street
Garth Fagan Dance Studio 50 Chestnut St.
Geva Theatre Center 75 Woodbury Blvd.
Java’s Café 16 Gibbs Street
The Little Theatre 240 East Avenue
Lyric Theatre 440 East Avenue
MuCCC 142 Atlantic Avenue
School of the Arts 45 Prince Street
Writers & Books 740 University Avenue
Tickets
Fringe shows are separately ticketed and prices vary from program to program. All tickets can be purchased online at rochesterfringe.com; by phone at 957-9837; in person at all Fringe venues starting one hour prior to the performance; and in person at the Fringe Box Office in One Fringe Place. Many performances will fill up quick, so it’s recommended you buy tickets in advance.
There are also around 150 free shows at this year’s Fringe, including Friday and Saturday on the Fringe at Parcel 5, and performances on Gibbs Street during the second weekend. To explore the free performances, go to rochesterfringe.com, click “Find a show,” and look for the “Only free shows” filter option.
Parking
Convenient parking for the East End venues can be found in the East End parking garage at the corner of Scio Street and East Avenue. Additional parking can be found in the Washington Square Garage (111 Woodbury Boulevard), Court Street Garage (194 Court Street), Sister Cities Garage (28 North Fitzhugh Street), and One HSBC Plaza (100 Chestnut Street). Daily parking at each of these locations costs $7 per car. Also be on the lookout for street parking or spots in surface lots throughout the neighborhood.
The Fringe is a pedestrian and bike-friendly event. There will be plenty of bike parking at One Fringe Place.
Do Fringe with CITY
For all of CITY’s Fringe information, check out rochestercitynewspaper.com to get the online version of this guide plus our daily Fringe Blog. Each day, CITY’s critics will offer up reviews and photos of the previous night’s performances, and you can post your own thoughts in the comments section. New blogs will be up by 7 a.m. each morning of the festival. We’ll also post updates on our Facebook page (facebook.com/CITYNewspaper), on Twitter (@roccitynews), and on Instagram (@roccitynews).
CITY will again host Trivia CITY during Fringe on Wednesday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Spiegelgarden. The trivia night will focus on arts and culture (with rounds specifically about Rochester and the Fringe), and is free. Appropriate for ages 18 and older. There is no sign-up, but teams cannot be larger than six people.
To let us know how your Fringe is going, use the hashtag #fringeCITY on social media.
