Full Programming Set for 2026 ESL Rochester Fringe Festival in September

The 2026 Official Fringe Guide is now available for the ESL Rochester Fringe Festival, which officially opens one month from today, running 12 days from Tuesday, September 15 - Saturday, September 26.  

Fringe organizers have begun distributing more than 100,000 free copies of its 128-page guide throughout Rochester to help people plan for Fringe. People can pick up hard copies of the 2026 Official Fringe Guide in Fringe venue locations, ESL branches, coffee shops, hotels, restaurants and more. A complete list of locations can be found here. The 2026 Official Fringe Guide contains descriptions for all 297 productions at 45 venue locations at Fringe, including festival highlights:

CIRCUS IN THE CITY

CIRCUS IN THE CITY is this year's FREE, outdoor spectacle with performances running on Friday, September 18 and Saturday, September 19 at Parcel 5 (5 - 10 p.m.) and Gibbs Streets (5 - 9 p.m.). CIRCUS IN THE CITY is the first-ever large-scale collection of outdoor circus performances in Western New York, turning Rochester into a “mini-Montreal” for the first weekend of Fringe. It is made possible through a Market New York grant awarded by Empire State Development and I LOVE NY, New York State's Division of Tourism. A detailed schedule of performances will be announced soon.

SPIEGELTENT

A full lineup with something for everyone from the young to the young at heart is available in the Spiegeltent (One Fringe Place, corner of Main & Gibbs Streets, downtown Rochester) this year, including: 

• Cirque du Fringe: Anchors Away—Las Vegas legends Matt and Heidi Morgan are back with a world premiere of this murder mystery that takes place on a cruise ship with acts from Atomic Saloon Show, Circus Circus, Cirque Mechanics, Teatro ZinZanni, Spiegelworld, NBA halftime shows and the World Circus Arts Championships. 
• Marcel Lucont's Whine List—an acclaimed, interactive, improvised show that is a kind of group therapy session, where audiences may end up more depressed! The Daily Telegraph named it one of its Top Ten Comedy Picks at the Edinburgh Fringe.  
• Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles—a Gameshow for Awful Children—an international Fringe Family favorite, in which kids get to be pests, politicians—and worse—to compete to be crowned the most awful child of the day. The show is as entertaining for adults as it is for kids! 
• Shotspeare!—people will enjoy late-night at the Fringe with a raucous adaptation of the Bard's Othello that's equal parts classical theatre and drinking game.
• A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for Fifty-Six Minutes and Then Leaves–a cult hit that is scheduled for one show only on Thursday, September 17 at 9 p.m.
• Gospel Sunday is a FREE uplifting experience on Sunday, September 20 at 1 p.m.
• Silent Disco returns for more late-late night fun every Friday and Saturday evening of the festival.

THE GARDEN STUDIO

The Garden Studio is a brand-new, studio space that has been added to One Fringe Place (corner of Main & Gibbs Streets, downtown Rochester) this year. It offers a more intimate environment for shows, including: 

• Just to Be Close to You by Cam Poter in a 10x award-winning contemporary clown show featuring dreamy lounge-singer, Carl Poteraychke.
• Tea Party at the End of the World, a small-audience, multi-sensory experience inviting participants to remain playful in dire circumstances.
• Bushwhacked: Big Joy Fun Time Revival in an interactive, high-energy comedy spectacle with absurd testimonials, musical numbers and miraculous transformations.

COMEDY HEADLINER PETE DAVIDSON

Comedy headliner Pete Davidson, will perform on Saturday, September 25 at 8 p.m., at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

KIDS DAY

The final day of Fringe on Saturday, September 26 is full of FREE family fun, including Kids Day. There will be chalk art, pumpkin painting and Disco Kids at One Fringe Place (corner of Main & Gibbs Streets, downtown Rochester). Plus, the 9th Avenue Street Circus brings balancing, spinning, juggling, hula hooping and more to Dawn's Spiegelgarden. All festivities kick off at 12 noon.

STREET BEAT

Now in its 11th year, Street Beat is Upstate New York's largest all styles dance battle, featuring talent from across the Northeast, DJ ha-MEEN (Ithaca) and a panel of judges from across the country. From breaking to popping and locking, teams of 3-on-3 bring their all-styles A-game to the floor. This is another FREE, must-see event at Fringe on Saturday, September 26, with prelims starting at 12:30 p.m. followed by finals at 3:30 p.m.

The Fringe takes place September 15 – 26. Tickets to all shows are available online at rochesterfringe.com, via phone at (585) 957-9837 (additional phone fees apply) or via the Rochester Fringe Festival App, which is available for download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Tickets may be purchased in person at the festival's main box office at One Fringe Place at the corner of Main & Gibbs Streets starting September 13. Tickets will also be available onsite at the show doors of all venues starting one hour before curtain up.

FRINGE VENUES:

Aerial Arts of Rochester, Austin Steward Plaza, Biltmore Bar & Lounge, Blackfriars Theatre, Bop Shop Records, Centerstage Theatre at the JCC, Central Library of Rochester, Century Club at the Strathallan, Downtown United Presbyterian Church, Delmonico and Dugdale, Eastman School of Music, The Focus Theater, Garth Fagan Dance Studio, Genesee Valley Park, George Eastman Museum, Gibbs Street, The Harley School, The Hochstein School, Java's, Joseph Ave Arts and Culture Alliance at the Lincoln Library, Kodak Hall at the Eastman School of Music, La Marketa at the International Plaza, Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, Memorial Art Gallery, Mt. Hope Cemetery, MuCCC, Parcel 5, Photo City Music Hall, The Little, RIT City Art Space, RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium, RMSC: Garden of Fragrance, ROC Cinema, Roc City Circus, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, The Rose Room, Salena's, School of the Arts, Dawn's Spiegelgarden, Spiegeltent, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, University of Rochester – Sloan Performing Arts Center, Vanni's Jazz Lounge at the Inn on Broadway and Washington Grove.

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