Cincinnati Fringe Festival 2026 Will Present 35+ Productions Across OTR
The 23rd annual event will feature more than 190 performances across Over-the-Rhine venues in Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival has announced the lineup for its 2026 festival, featuring more than 35 local, national, and International Artists. The annual event will include theater, dance, puppetry, comedy, and experimental performance throughout Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The festival runs from May 29 through June 13.
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival will return for its 23rd year with more than 190 performances presented across pop-up venues throughout Over-the-Rhine from May 29 through June 13.
The festival will feature more than 35 local, national, and International Artists presenting original theater and experimental performance work, alongside free Kids Fringe programming, ASL-interpreted performances, and nightly Late Night events at Know Theatre’s Underground Bar.
“The Cincy Fringe is really special,” said Producer Katie Hartman in a statement. “It's famous for being a festival where artists and patrons mix and mingle in the Know Theatre's Underground Bar. Every night, after seeing a wild variety of shows from a wide array of artists, folks meet there and talk about all the art they just saw and the party just keeps going.”
This year’s festival includes 25 Primary Lineup productions, more than 35 total productions, and performances staged at Know Theatre, Gabriel’s Corner, First Lutheran Church, and the Miami University Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine.
TICKETING INFORMATION
Single tickets for the 2026 Cincinnati Fringe Festival are priced at $20. The festival’s All-Access Pass is available for $330 and includes admission to Primary Lineup, Limited Run, Fringe in Development, and Kids Fringe performances. A five-ticket Flex Pass is also available for $90.
Festival organizers noted that 50 percent of all box office revenue is distributed directly to Producing Artists.
The full schedule and ticket information are available through Cincy Fringe.
THE 2026 CINCY FRINGE FESTIVAL PRIMARY LINEUP
1 Gay Wedding and Absolutely No Funerals: Reception to Follow
Ben & Justin Present
Cincinnati & Columbus, OH
“'Til death do us party!”
A Hollywood Horror Story
Ingrid Garner
Los Angeles, CA
“The wild true story behind TV's first horror host, Vampira.”
Antonym
Solasta Theatre Lab
Cincinnati, OH
“Why did Kafka cross the road? Because Bukowski pushed him.”
Appalachian Songcatcher
Hannah Sage From
Atlanta, GA
“Banjo tunes, folk songs, and a queer Appalachian coming-of-age.”
BOMB! An FBI Memoir
Silver Linings Productions
Cincinnati, OH
“Songs of the unsung heroes. An explosive new musical.”
Champagne Dreams
3 Sticks
Auburn, AL
“Eloise longs to escape her boring life for... Champagne Dreams.”
Colonial Circus: History, Clown Style
Two2Mango
Toronto, ON, Canada
“Two brown clowns pretending to be British colonizers journey through the history of colonialism.”
Dizzy Miss Lizzie's Roadside Revue presents The Saints
Dizzy Miss Lizzie's Roadside Revue
Baltimore, MD
“A satirical take on Catholic Saints with rock and roll, puppetry and magic.”
Early Bird
Jack Fogle and the River Rat Puppet Collective
Cincinnati, OH
“A grandson hiding his queerness visits his Appalachian grandparents.”
ERYS SICHTHON
Lina Keys
Cincinnati, OH
“After messing with Demeter's forest, Erys faces the cursed consequences.”
FRONTIER So Far
Justin Dodd and george mcconnell
New York, NY and Bryan, TX
“An experimental comedy that imagines how to do masculinity better.”
Jon Bennett: This Will Only Ever Happen Once
2HOOTS PRODUCTIONS
Adelaide, Australia
“A hilarious show by a world-renowned Aussie about life's unrepeatable moments.”
Locusta's School For Assassins
Samantha Joy Weil
Covington, KY
“Two women bond over plants, poisons, and murdering privileged men.”
Memento Holly
Zoë Peterson
Cincinnati, OH
“A journey to spread a friend's ashes reignites past relationships.”
Modern Butchood
Molly Gloeckner
Los Angeles, CA
“A dark comic lesbian quarter life crisis.”
Papa
Madeleine Rowe
Minneapolis, MN
“Frankenstein's Monster isn't just a creation. He's somebody's son.”
Private Equity: The Musical!
Doin' Too Much Productions
Cincinnati, OH
“If the Phantom Tollbooth happened in a hypergentrified apartment complex.”
Quiet Coyotes
Green Fuse Productions
Southgate, KY
“A wildfire creates opportunities for campers to discover nature's resilience.”
RAT MAN HAPPY PLACE
Bruce Ryan Costella
Orlando, FL
“A guided comedy tour through the happiest ruins on Earth.”
Tapped In
Pones
NKY / Cincinnati, OH
“Uncovering cultural identity through tap's layered lineage and creative collaboration.”
The Boy from Bantay
Jeremy Rafal
New York, NY
“Cartoons. Classical Music. A Coming-of-Age Story.”
Transcendent
Queen City Queers
Cincinnati, OH
“A macabre exploration on living in your freaky, felty, flesh.”
Unreconciled
Unreconciled Project
Easthampton, MA
“A humorous, heartbreaking story of courage, family, and reclaiming your voice.”
With a special talkback on Sunday, May 31, following the show.
What Art Is and What Art Is Good Art
Ben Dudley
Cincinnati, OH
“Two self-proclaimed experts offer the definitive, final statement on art.”
White Whale
Autumn Kaleidoscope & Mette Puppets
Cincinnati, OH
“Discover the forgotten history of Cincinnati's living white whales!”
2026 CINCY FRINGE FESTIVAL LIMITED RUNS
Bloody Fairytales: Paul Strickland
Paul Strickland Presents
Covington, KY
“Dark fairytales for adults where laughter and dread share space.”
Mad Women's Ball
InBocca Performance
Cincinnati, OH
“The Mad Women's Ball: Entrance Upon Invitation, Exit Upon Transformation.”
O'Fringe Is The New Black
Wit's End Productions
Newport, KY
“A sketch comedy show. Break out - into laughter!”
trueFRINGE 2026
True Theatre
Cincinnati, OH
“Fringe artists sharing true, personal, behind-the-scenes stories!”
2026 CINCY KIDS FRINGE
Linton PB&J Presents: Heroic Harmonies!
Linton Chamber Music PB&J Sessions
Cincinnati, OH
“Interactive superhero training for young kids with live music!”
Pato y Muerte
Dos-Corazones Productions
Cincinnati, OH
“A playful, bilingual dance-theater performance that celebrates life, death and friendship.”
ALL AGES FREE EVENTS
Know Theatre
1120 Jackson Street
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