Rochester Fringe Festival kicks off 2024 season: What’s in store?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — East Main Street and Gibbs Street in the City of Rochester has officially transformed into One Fringe Place for the next twelve days. This of course, for the annual Rochester Fringe Festival.

Since debuting in Rochester in 2012, the Rochester Fringe Festival is one of nearly 250 of its kind worldwide and has been deemed one of the largest in the country.

“Rochester Fringe is a multidisciplinary festival, so it’s everything from comedy to theater, music, dance, children’s entertainment and shows that can’t even be classified,” Rochester Fringe Festival Producer and CEO Erica Fee told News 8.

Jampacked into a twelve-day run are around 650 performances with lots to see. Fee said there truly is something for everyone.

“What makes Rochester Fringe very exciting is that we have a bifurcated model, and what that means is that we bring in some kind of headline entertainment, and then we also have about 30 venues that are also curating acts,” Fee said.

Fee adds the reason behind the festival each year is to provide platforms to artists. Artists including Caleb J. Goldberg and Cindy Arena who are bringing their comedy show “From Flab to Fab” from open mic nights at bar to the stage.

“One of the really special things about it is that a lot of people are telling stories that they are some of the only people that can really share the perspective that they have,” Goldberg said. “You’re seeing all these people really practicing their skill of relating to people and sharing their story with people that may not find themselves in that position, but who can relate because of kind of those shared human experiences.”

The festival is not constructed with only local landmarks. A handmade architect of air is a 19-room luminarium called “Daedalum” which Fee told News 8 is a big deal for Rochester. And also brought in for the festival:

“We also have a really incredible venue called a Spiegel tent. And this is a tent. It’s really a temporary venue with inlaid oak floors and stained-glass windows and mirrors,” Fee said. “It’s direct from Belgium. We have nightly entertainment in that tent, including a world premiere and two U.S. premieres that will be occurring.”

Again, Tuesday was just day one of the festival. All information on performances can be found here.

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