ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Fringe Festival is just one ribbon cutting away from getting into full swing.
The ribbon cutting will be held 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Orange Venue at Lowndes Shakespeare Center.
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After that, the highly-anticipated and internationally-renowned cultural experience is returning to Orlando’s Loch Haven Park.
Running through May 29, the 32nd annual festival will feature a City Beautiful theme, more than 2,000 ticketed performances, a free outdoor concert stage, activities for artists and children, the infamous Beer Tent and food trucks and so much more.
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“Here we go Orlando Fringe 2023!” Orlando Fringe Executive Director Alauna Friskics and Festival Producer Tempestt Halstead said in a joint statement. “We are so excited to present the best festival ever this year with so many fantastic new and returning festival favorites, and we look forward to seeing everyone for two weeks of incredible shows, art, activities, memories and fun with family and friends – that is always uniquely Fringe.”
Find everything you need to know before you go to the festival below.
The Venues
The anchoring location for artists and audiences attending this year’s festival will be situated at Loch Haven Park, where those attending can enjoy the free outdoor stage, food and drink vendors and Fringe’s famous Beer & Booze tent. Patrons can also rent cabanas on the lawn, from $149-$249, which includes four complimentary beers and wines and continued cocktail service throughout the day.
Different venues splinter out from this meeting point, even expanding into downtown Orlando this year thanks to the new Fringe ArtSpace on Church Street.
The blue, orange, pink, brown, red and yellow venues, alongside the “Play What You Can” outdoor stage are housed in the Lowndes Shakespeare Center; the purple and teal venues are in the Fringe ArtSpace; the gold venue and Club Fringe Lounge are at the Orlando Museum of Art; the green and silver venues are at the Orlando Repertory Theatre, and Kids Fringe (taking place May 20-21 and May 27-28) is in the Orlando Garden Club.
Off-campus, Bring Your Own Venue (BYOV) partners will also be offering beer, wine, liquor and restrooms for festival patrons. These locations outside the main festival area include The Abbey, Renaissance Theatre Company, Hamburger Mary’s and The Starlite Room at Savoy.
There are also artist-chosen venues, which will be listed on individual show programs. In the past, these site-specific locations have been as weird, wacky and imaginative as the shows themselves, whether based in a cargo van, at a swimming pool or in a public restroom.
Shuttles will also be offered for those needing transportation to venues located outside the main festival area on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. For more information on everything from parking to shuttles to venues, visit this page.
The Shows
From fan favorites and new shows to family fare and off-the-wall oddballs, Fringe has something for everybody.
Think a patchwork quilt of performances spanning all genres—drama, comedy, dance, burlesque, magic, puppetry and more.
Diehard Fringe fans might notice some familiar faces, including Thom Mesrobian as SharkTooth Sam, pictured above, as well as some festival newcomers.
For a full list of shows featured this year, click here.
The Tickets
Improvisers and Orlando Fringe Festival enthusiasts have at least one thing in common: They know you need to find the button.
In addition to buying a ticket, those interested in seeing any ticketed Fringe shows are required to buy a $10 button, a one-time purchase used to gain access to any of the festival’s shows this year.
The Fringe button can be picked up at the festival box office, information table or BYOV location and all proceeds are used to keep the festival running.
Ticket prices for the shows range from free to $15 and go directly to the performing artists.
Some shows sell out fast, so it’s always recommended to buy your tickets ahead of time. Those interested can purchase tickets both in person and online.
For more information on tickets, visit the Orlando Fringe Festival website.
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