ORLANDO — There’s a theme this year at Orlando Fringe. Now closing in on almost forty years of hosting this popular, well loved theater festival, the 2026 theme is “35 Years Weird.” And the organizers of the festival love that about Fringe.
The 35th annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival runs from Tuesday, May 12 through Labor Day weekend, ending with closing ceremonies on Monday, May 25. The festival will be held in its longstanding home in Loch Haven Park, utilizing theater space at Orlando Shakes, Orlando Family Stage, Orlando Museum Of Art and other venues, as a 14-day “immersive cultural experience featuring over 1,000 ticketed performances,” Fringe notes.
What to expect? A lot! Performances can range from live and original stage shows to dance routines, magic shows, and plenty of other forms of storytelling, along with free events that will include an outdoor music festival at the Fringe Food & Beer Tent, artwork on display inside Orlando Shakes as part of Visual Fringe, and Kids Fringe shows on weekends to bring both the young and the young-at-heart into the festival.
In other words, Fringe plans to keep you very busy!
What Happens at Orlando Fringe This Year?
This festival brings together local, national and international artists for a highly creative and unique arts and theater experience, where patrons can expect the unexpected.
“Fringe has always been a place where artists get to show up exactly as they are and audiences get to experience something they cannot see anywhere else,” notes Tempestt Halstead, Fringe’s artistic director.
“For 35 years we have trusted artists with the space and that trust has built a community that keeps coming back,” she added. “This year, as we celebrate 35 Years Weird, we are not asking anyone to be anything other than curious. Come ready to be surprised! Come ready to feel something! That is what Fringe has always done best.”
A ribbon cutting ceremony marking the festival’s official opening kicks off on May 12, followed by a National/International Artist Teaser Show inside the Peach Venue at Orlando Family Stage, offering a taste of what’s to come over the next 13 days.
Those shows run through May 25, which is also Patrons Pick Day, where Fringe provides awards to the top selling shows in each venue, followed by the Closing Ceremonies.
How can residents and visitors across Central Florida attend Fringe? First, patrons need to purchase a Fringe button, which gives them access to the shows, and then purchase tickets to the individual performances they want to attend. Tickets can be purchased on the Orlando Fringe website.
“As the longest-running Fringe theatre festival in the United States, Orlando Fringe is founded on being: 100% uncensored, 100% unjuried, 100% accessible, 100% inclusive and 100% of all ticket sales go directly back to the artists,” Fringe notes.
What Is Orlando Fringe?
The Orlando Fringe Festival is the oldest Fringe in the nation, and in 2026 will celebrate its 35th year. It was created in 1991 by Terry Olson (who is now the director of the Orange County Division of Arts and Cultural Affairs), Andy Anthony and Rick Kunst, and held in 1992 in downtown Orlando.
The concept was simple: a festival featuring multiple theatrical shows, mostly done in venues in empty storefronts. In 2004, the festival started to relocate to Loch Haven Park, and from 2005 on, the festival has been held entirely in that park and in nearby Ivanhoe Village. It’s the longest running Fringe Festival in the United States, a 14-day festival held every spring in May, leading up to Memorial Day weekend.
Michael Freeman is an Orlando journalist, playwright, and author of the book A Christmas Eve Story. Contact him at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.
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