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The text "Minnesota fringe" in gray and black, with the latter word much larger than the former.
Minnesota Fringe Festival logo

The Minnesota Fringe Festival is a performing arts festival held annually at various venues throughout Minneapolis, Minnesota.[a][2] The tradition of fringe festivals began with the establishment of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1947, and starting in 1991, producers began to establish festivals of their own in the United States.[3] The first Minnesota Fringe Festival took place in 1994, with 53 shows presented at six venues across Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.[4] Although early iterations of the festival included film screenings and visual art exhibitions, the festival later narrowed its focus to performing arts in five categories: comedy, dance, drama, musical, and "something different".[5][6] During its first four iterations, the festival took place in late June and early July. Since 1998, it has taken place during late July and early August, consistently running for 11 days annually since 2005, when it expanded from a 10-day run.

The festival grew from its inception in 1994, in terms of the number of shows presented, venues occupied, and tickets purchased, to become the largest unjuried fringe festival in the United States, a distinction it held until 2018 when it was overtaken by the Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival and the Washington, D.C., Capital Fringe Festival.[2][7] In 2010, over 50,000 tickets were sold for the first time, and in 2015, more performances took place (909) and tickets were sold (50,338) than in any other year. The most shows (177) were presented in 2013, and two years, 2004 and 2015, tied for the most venues utilized by the festival, with 24 apiece. This value includes traditional theaters as well as site-specific venues, which can vary from year to year and have included a loading dock, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a moving car.[8][9]

The 2020 iteration was initially canceled on account of the COVID-19 pandemic before being retooled as an entirely virtual festival.[10][11] Both live and in-person performances were presented for the 2021 festival, though unlike in previous years, the Minnesota Fringe did not staff in-person venues.[12] The most recent iteration of the festival ran August 1–11, 2024.[13]

Festivals

[edit]
Year Dates No. of shows No. of performances[b] Attendance Venues[c] References
1994 June 23 – July 2 53 315 4,630 6 [4][17][18]
1995 June 22 – July 3 ≤50 400 5,500 5 [17][19]
1996 June 20–30 46 250 4,464 5 [19][20][21][22]
1997 June 19–29 35 — 4,300 5 [23][24][25]
1998 July 30 – August 9 38 ~200 6,573 6 [25][26]
1999 July 29 – August 8 68 — 15,447 10 [27][28]
2000 July 28 – August 6 100 500 >23,000 19 [29][30][31][32]
2001 August 3–12 120 — 28,835 21 [5][32][33][34]
2002 August 2–11 148 >675 32,000 14 [35][36]
2003 August 1–10 162 783 40,500 20 [37][38]
2004 August 6–15 176 900 43,836 24 [39][40][41][42]
2005 August 4–14 168 855 44,630 20 [43][44]
2006 August 3–13 165 890 44,814 23 [45][46]
2007 August 2–12 162 872 37,752 23 [8][47][48]
2008 July 31 – August 10 156 808 40,926 18 [48][49][50]
2009 July 30 – August 9 162 843 46,189 22 [50][51][52]
2010 August 5–15 169 876 50,256 15 [50][53][54]
2011 August 4–14 168 865 48,350 18 [55][56]
2012 August 2–12 164 840 48,432 15 [50][57]
2013 August 1–11 177 897 50,007 16 [50][58]
2014 July 31 – August 10 169 878 50,265 15 [50][59][60]
2015 July 30 – August 9 174 909 50,338 24 [61][62]
2016 August 4–14 168 869 47,882 19 [63][64][65]
2017 August 3–13 167 850 46,076 17 [66][67][68]
2018 August 2–12 138 694 ~36,400 16 [69][70]
2019 August 1–11 142 729 34,440 17 [71][72][73]
2020 July 30 – August 9 >22[d] >22[d] — n/a[e] [11][74]
2021 August 5–15 116 260 3,650 ~12[f] [12][75]
2022 August 4–14 113 585 21,200 11 [76][77]
2023 August 3–13 101 525 >20,000 15 [78][79]
2024 August 1–11 105 ~500 TBD 14 [13]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Historically, the festival has also occasionally occupied venues in neighboring Saint Paul, Minnesota.[1]
  2. ^ Each show in the festival is given five performances.[14] The bestselling show at each venue is then granted a sixth encore performance.[15]
  3. ^ The number of venues is counted as the number of stages or other playing spaces utilized. The Rarig Center, for example, houses four stages and counts as four venues in years when the festival is using all four of them.[16]
  4. ^ a b There were 22 live virtual shows presented during the 2020 Minnesota Fringe plus "many more" available to patrons who purchased access to the festival's "digital hub".[11][74]
  5. ^ The 2020 festival was entirely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
  6. ^ The 2021 festival took place both virtually and in-person, with in-person shows at both traditional theaters and site-specific venues.[12] This value only includes in-person venues.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "All Things Fringe". Star Tribune. July 31, 2009. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Weber, Tom (2015). 100 Things to Do in the Twin Cities Before You Die. St. Louis: Reedy Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-935806-98-1.
  3. ^ Hersh, Amy (November 17, 1995). "North American fringe fests: A new tradition that's growing". Back Stage. Retrieved January 18, 2017 – via EBSCOHost.
  4. ^ a b Pizzato, Mark (March 1995). "Minnesota Fringe Festival". Theatre Journal. 47 (1): 142–145. doi:10.2307/3208817. JSTOR 3208817.
  5. ^ a b Royce, Graydon (August 26, 2001). "Fringe facts". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  6. ^ Berdan, Kathy (July 22, 2015). "Here's your Minnesota Fringe Festival starter guide". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on January 19, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  7. ^ Considine, Basil (August 23, 2018). "Fringe File 2018 #26 – Official Numbers; MN Fringe No Longer Largest In United States". Twin Cities Arts Reader. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Hudetz, Mary (August 2, 2007). "Bring Your Own Venue". Vita.mn. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  9. ^ Daher, Natalie (July 28, 2015). "After more than two decades of live arts, the Minnesota Fringe Festival freshens up with a roster of new venues – from bathtubs to buses". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  10. ^ Preston, Rohan (April 24, 2020). "Minnesota Fringe Festival canceled in face of coronavirus pandemic". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d Berdan, Kathy (July 28, 2020). "Minnesota Fringe is still wacky, irreverent, heartfelt and online". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Berdan, Kathy (August 1, 2021). "Minnesota Fringe is still plenty different … and celebrates it". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Kaufman, Jared (August 1, 2024). "How To Fringe: Your guide to the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival, running Aug. 1–11". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  14. ^ Huyck, Ed (August 8, 2006). "Twin Cities Theatre Comes Alive During Fringe". Backstage. Archived from the original on January 22, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  15. ^ Considine, Basil (July 4, 2016). "Fringe File #3: About Fringe and How to Pick a Show". Twin Cities Arts Reader. Archived from the original on January 22, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  16. ^ Royce, Graydon (March 26, 2006). "Fringe fest adds U's Rarig Center to its stages". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  17. ^ a b Abdallah, Cheryl (June 30, 1995). "Minnesota Fringe Festival Returns". Asian Pages. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  18. ^ Royce, Graydon (August 6, 2004). "Flowering Fringe". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  19. ^ a b Vaughan, Peter (July 14, 1996). "Fringe fades". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  20. ^ Vaughan, Peter (June 16, 1996). "Fringe Festival to offer a familiar flavor". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  21. ^ Jones, Chris (May 1996). "Edinburgh, U.S.A.: The Fringe Is a Theatrical Phenomenon Whose Time Has Come". American Theatre. Retrieved August 5, 2016.[dead link]
  22. ^ Vaughan, Peter (May 5, 1996). "Fringe Festival to spotlight local talent". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  23. ^ Vaughan, Peter (May 25, 1997). "Fourth Fringe Festival lineup announced". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  24. ^ Harlow, Tim (June 20, 1997). "Event: Fringe Festival". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  25. ^ a b Preston, Rohan (August 23, 1998). "Fringe getting bigger". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  26. ^ Steele, Mike (August 3, 1998). "Daring Tanner is top of the Fringe". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  27. ^ Steele, Mike (January 27, 1999). "Dean Seal ousted at Bryant Lake Bowl". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  28. ^ Preston, Rohan (August 12, 1999). "Fans flocked to this year's Fringe Festival". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  29. ^ Peck, Claude (July 23, 2000). "Growth at the Fringe". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  30. ^ "Religion on the Fringe". Star Tribune. July 29, 2000. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  31. ^ "Nothing but fringe; A complete guide to the 7th Minnesota Fringe Festival". Star Tribune. July 28, 2000. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  32. ^ a b Preston, Rohan (August 8, 2000). "Record attendance pleases organizers". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  33. ^ Royce, Graydon (July 29, 2001). "Success presses Fringe". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  34. ^ "2001 Fringe Venues". Minnesota Fringe Festival. 2001. Archived from the original on October 29, 2001. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  35. ^ Royce, Graydon (August 20, 2002). "Fringe Festival's attendance and revenues increase". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  36. ^ "Complete Minnesota Fringe '02 Schedule". Minnesota Fringe Festival. 2002. Archived from the original on October 8, 2002. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  37. ^ Hatton, Nigel (July 27, 2003). "Fringe benefit". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  38. ^ Preston, Rohan (August 14, 2003). "Again, Fringe finds center of attention". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  39. ^ "Life on the Fringe". Minnesota Monthly. August 1, 2004. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  40. ^ Royce, Graydon (August 18, 2004). "Fringe Festival attendance rose 15.3%". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  41. ^ Hicks, Dylan (August 11, 2004). "Once More with Feeling". City Pages. Archived from the original on August 21, 2004. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  42. ^ "2004 Festival Grid" (PDF). Minnesota Fringe Festival. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2005.
  43. ^ Royce, Graydon (July 31, 2005). "Survival of the Fringest". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  44. ^ Royce, Graydon (August 21, 2005). "Fringe shows draw bigger audiences". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  45. ^ McCants, Jeffrey E. (July 30, 2006). "Moving toward the fringe". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  46. ^ McCants, Jeffrey E. (August 16, 2006). "This year's Fringe Festival buttons up sales, attendance records". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  47. ^ Royce, Graydon (August 16, 2007). "Bridge collapse reverberated into festival attendance". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  48. ^ a b "Press FAQ". Minnesota Fringe Festival. December 26, 2008. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  49. ^ Royce, Graydon; Lee, Patrick (July 27, 2008). "Fringe Stories". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  50. ^ a b c d e f "Press". Minnesota Fringe Festival. 2014. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  51. ^ Royce, Graydon (July 30, 2009). "Beyond the Fringe". Vita.mn. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  52. ^ Gillette, Robin C.; Foster, Matthew (August 10, 2009). "Minnesota Fringe sets new attendance record" (PDF) (Press release). Minnesota Fringe Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 15, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  53. ^ Royce, Graydon (August 6, 2010). "Theater without rules". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  54. ^ Gillette, Robin C.; Foster, Matthew (August 16, 2010). "Minnesota Fringe '10 sets festival record" (PDF) (Press release). Minnesota Fringe Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  55. ^ Bakeman, Jessica; Preston, Rohan; Royce, Graydon; Townsend, John; Palmer, Caroline (August 8, 2011). "Gorey story, fun show; Live Action Set's version of children's book mixes clowning and live music". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  56. ^ Gillette, Robin C.; Foster, Matthew (August 15, 2011). "48,350 tickets issued to Minnesota Fringe 2011" (PDF) (Press release). Minnesota Fringe Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  57. ^ Royce, Graydon (August 3, 2012). "Your Guide to the Fringe". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  58. ^ Preston, Rohan (July 28, 2013). "Tribe of the Fringe". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  59. ^ Huyck, Ed (July 30, 2014). "Best bets from the 2014 Minnesota Fringe Festival". City Pages. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  60. ^ Gabler, Jay (July 30, 2014). "Musical theater at the 2014 Minnesota Fringe Festival: Ten shows not to miss". 89.3 The Current. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  61. ^ Berdan, Kathy (June 28, 2015). "Minnesota Fringe Festival 2015 schedule now available". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  62. ^ "Press Kit". Minnesota Fringe Festival. 2016. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  63. ^ Erickson, Ann B. (August 15, 2016). "Minnesota Fringe reports attendance of 47,882 for 2016 festival" (PDF) (Press release). Minnesota Fringe Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  64. ^ Berdan, Kathy (July 2, 2016). "2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival schedule, tickets now available". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  65. ^ Gabler, Jay (August 3, 2016). "Eleven days of the Fringe Festival: Your guide to the sprawling theater adventure". City Pages. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  66. ^ Hewitt, Chris (July 1, 2017). "Theater: Who's in this year's Fringe Festival? Start making your plans. The website is live". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  67. ^ Preston, Rohan (August 30, 2017). "Actor behind controversial pedophilia play drops lawsuit against Minnesota Fringe Festival". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  68. ^ "Press Kit". Minnesota Fringe Festival. 2017. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017.
  69. ^ Berdan, Kathy (August 27, 2018). "2018 Minnesota Fringe Festival drew 38,600 festival-goers to 694 performances". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  70. ^ "2018 Venues". Minnesota Fringe Festival. 2018. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  71. ^ Hewitt, Chris (July 30, 2019). "Four ways to choose your own Minnesota Fringe Festival adventure". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  72. ^ "2019 Venues". Minnesota Fringe Festival. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  73. ^ Berdan, Kathy (September 17, 2019). "Minnesota Fringe 2020 will have fewer shows, consolidated in one area". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  74. ^ a b "2020 Nightly Fringe". Minnesota Fringe Festival. 2020. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  75. ^ Bardan, Kathy (August 27, 2021). "2021 Minnesota Fringe Festival had 260 virtual and in-person performances". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  76. ^ Roth, Ellie (July 5, 2022). "Intermission Is Over: The Fringe Fest Is Back". Mpls. St. Paul. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  77. ^ "Thank you for joining the adventure!". Minnesota Fringe Festival. August 25, 2022. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022 – via MailChimp.
  78. ^ Melo, Frederick (July 30, 2023). "How to Fringe: The Minnesota Fringe Festival turns 30, hosts 101 different shows Aug. 3-Aug. 13". Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  79. ^ "Fringe Hangover". Minnesota Fringe Festival. 2023. Archived from the original on September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
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