Fringe Festival closing weekend: Street Beat, Architects of Air, and more

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The 13th annual Rochester Fringe Festival closes out on Saturday with some highly anticipated acts.

The 12-day festival features more than 250 different productions and 650 total shows. Those shows include comedy, theatre, dance, music, film, magic, and interactive shows.

The Rochester Fringe Festival is the largest multidisciplinary performing arts festival in New York State and is among the largest Fringe Festivals in the country. More than 30 venues are holding shows including The Spiegeltent at Main and Gibbs streets. Some others include The Little Theatre, Garth Fagan Dance Studio, The Hochstein School, and Writers & Books.

You can see the complete list of shows, get tickets, or browse for free shows here. Here some some of the acts happening on Friday and Saturday

Street Beat (Saturday, free)

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.

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.

Free Kids Day (Saturday, free)

There will be family-friendly activities at the annual Free Kids Day on Saturday. That includes chalk art from noon to 3 p.m., pumpkin painting from noon to 2 p.m., and kids disco from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Kids can also create a pet rock from noon to 3 p.m. You can see where each event it taking place here.

Screening of Oppenheimer (Friday, free)

There will be a free outdoor screening of the blockbuster film Oppenheimer at the Spiegelgarden at Main and Gibbs streets. The film tells the story of physicist Robert Oppenheimer in the haunting and world-changing story of development of the atomic bomb. The screening starts at 7:45 p.m.

Architects of Air (Friday and Saturday)

The world-famous Architects of Air have made their debut at the Rochester Fringe Festival debut. They’re continuing their performances at One Fringe Place on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $7 and you can see show times here.

Cirque du Fringe: Variete (Friday and Saturday)

Cirque du Fringe: Variete has made its world premiere. It features comedy and thrilling feats at One Fringe Place on Friday and Saturday. 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.

Monuments by Craig Walsh (Friday and Saturday, free)

Australian artist Craig Walsh is projecting the moving faces of three renowned Rochesterians on trees to celebrate their impact. The artist seeks to highlight people who deserve to be recognized but may never rise to public consciousness.

It’s taking place on Friday and Saturday outside of Third Presbyterian Church on East Avenue and Meigs Street. Both shows start at 8 p.m.