Rochester Fringe Festival is less than a month away; Here’s your guide

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The 13th annual Rochester Fringe Festival is set to kick off in September, featuring 250 different productions and more than 650 total shows including plenty of free shows.

The festival is the largest multidisciplinary performing arts festival in New York State and is among one of the largest Fringe Festivals in the country. The festival will feature comedy, theatre, dance, music, film, magic, interactive shows, and more.

The 12-day festival begins on Tuesday, Sept. 10 and runs through Saturday, Sept. 21. The shows will take place across more than 30 venues including The Little Theatre, Garth Fagan Dance Studio, The Hochstein School, and Writers & Books.

As always, there will also be plenty of shows at the Spiegeltent across from the Eastman Theatre at Main and Gibbs streets. You can see the complete list of shows, get tickets, or browse for free shows here.

Who will be the comedy headliner?

Saturday Night Live cast member Colin Jost will be the new comedy headliner at the festival. He will replace former SNL cast member Pete Davidson who canceled his show. All tickets previously bought for Pete Davidson will automatically be honored for Jost’s show.

Jost will take the stage at Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre on Friday, Sept. 13. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and you can buy tickets here.

When is the annual Street Beat?

Street Beat, the annual high-energy breakdancing competition, is returning to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park. The free performance will take place on Saturday, Sept. 21, the final day of the festival.

Dancers from Rochester and beyond will compete on three-on-three teams for the grand prize of $1,200. DJ ha-MEEN will bring the beats to the floor. The preliminary rounds are from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and the finals are from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

What are some of the other acts?

The world famous Architects of Air are making their Rochester Fringe Festival debut. They’ll perform multiple shows at One Fringe Place at the corner of Main and Gibbs streets. Tickets are $7 and you can see the schedule here.

There will also be the world premiere of Cirque du Fringe: Variete. It will feature comedy and thrilling feats at One Fringe Place. There will be trapeze, roller-skaters, unicycles, a world-renowned basketball juggler, a giant chicken, and more. You can get tickets and see show times here.

There will be plenty of family-friendly activities at the annual Free Kids Day on Saturday, Sept. 21. Activities will include pumpkin painting, chalk art, and disco for kids.