10th Rochester Fringe Has 425+ Shows, 9/14-25

News provided by

Sep 08, 2021, 06:55 ET

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 10^th anniversary KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival runs Tuesday, September 14 – Saturday, September 25 with more than 425 in-person and online performances and events spanning all genres. Tickets and a complete schedule are available at rochesterfringe.com.

"After 18 months of closure that have devastated the performing arts, we're thrilled to play our part in getting them back on their feet," says Founding Festival Producer Erica Fee "Nearly 90% of our shows are live and in-person, which wouldn't be possible without our absolute commitment to keeping performers and attendees safe." (See the festival's COVID-19 protocols.)

The 2021 festival will feature more than 120 free shows, including a special Fringe Finale, SMOKESTACKS, a mini music festival headlined and curated by nationally renowned Rochester band, Joywave.

Four more free, outdoor events return this year: Fringe Street Beat, a breakdancing and all-styles dance battle; Pedestrian Drive-In, nightly films on the big screen; Kids Day; and Gospel Sunday, an afternoon of the best in local gospel music.

In addition to The Garden and the Theatre Bar, the festival's hub at One Fringe Place will be home to a beautiful Italian Circus Tent. Inside, a Fringe-commissioned comedy and variety show created and directed by festival favorite Matt Morgan will make its World Premiere for 14 performances: Cirque du Fringe: AfterParty. In and around the Italian Circus Tent: Silent Disco returns for all four, weekend late-nights.

With the Edinburgh Fringe as its inspiration, the vast majority of shows applied to festival venues, which then curated their own spaces. This year's venues were inundated with submissions from artists eager to perform for live audiences again.

"Not only are we providing a platform for artists to share their ideas and develop their skills, which is our nonprofit's overarching mission," adds Fee, "but arts and culture provide healthy community cohesion as a result of shared experiences – something we all really need right now."

From its five-day debut in 2012, the 12-day KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival has become one of the fastest-growing and most-attended fringe festivals in the U.S, as well as the largest multidisciplinary performing arts festival in NY State. Last year's Virtual Fringe offered more than 170 online productions, connecting artists and audiences around the world. The 2019 Fringe featured 667 performances and events and broke attendance records with more than 100,000 visitors.

SOURCE Rochester Fringe Festival, Inc.