Rochester Fringe Festival will begin distributing guides to performances

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester Fringe Festival organizers will start distributing the official guide to the festival on Monday.

The Fringe Festival runs from Tuesday, Sept. 12 through Saturday, Sept. 23 with more than 500 performances. You can pick up a guide at official festival venues across the city.

You can also pick up the guide at University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music, RIT, St. John Fisher University, Nazareth University, and Monroe Community College. You can see an online guide here.

This year’s lineup to the 12 day festival will include acts that incorporate music, dance, comedy, film, danger, magic, and interactive experiences. There will be 118 free performances including at Parcel 5, the Spiegelgarden, and the corner of Main and Gibbs Streets.

“There’s something for everyone really at this year’s Fringe. We really ask people to get out and enjoy. Most of the shows are about an hour in length so they do allow you to sample more than one show in an evening,” said Erica Fee, the Rochester Fringe Festival’s producer and CEO.

Fans are excited for much anticipated performances including from the French stunt group Cirque Inextremiste and the Irish street theatre group The Fanzinis.

“I go as many days as possible. I usually sit outside those full weekends and any weekday that I can. I recruit people constantly, including all my coworkers, friends and family. I’ll go with anyone and everyone. It’s literally my favorite time of year,” said festival-goer Stephanie Reh.

Here are some of the performers at this year’s festival:

• Cirque Inextremiste: The acclaimed French stunt group will perform on Friday, Sept. 15 and Saturday, Sept. 16 at Parcel 5. The performance, called EXIT, is free. It features tightrope-walking and other quirky circus stunts.

• The Fanzinis: Did you know Monroe County has a sister county in Ireland? That county is sending a world-renowned group of street theatre artists, The Fanzinis, to the Rochester Fringe Festival. They’re described as “world-class Olympian-level idiots” and will perform an acrobatic-comedy mashup. The show is free. It’s on Friday, Sept. 15 and Saturday, Sept. 16 at Parcel 5. There’s also a show on Sept. 17 at the Spiegelgarden.

• Circolombia: The Columbian circus will take the stage at Spiegeltent every evening of the festival starting on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Tickets start at $30. Circolombia’s charismatic cast melds jaw-dropping acrobatic skills, high-intensity Latin dance and music, and a uniquely modern circus aesthetic to create a world-class entertainment experience

The Rochester Fringe Festival is the largest multidisciplinary performing arts event in New York State. Since debuting in 2012, the festival has drawn more than 670,000 visitors from all over the world. Rochester is one of 250 cities worldwide that hold Fringe Festivals.