THE STRANGER, THE BETTER: ROCHESTER FRINGE FESTIVAL EMBODIES THE CREATIVITY OF GREATER ROC
- emmaalexander2
- Sep 21
- 2 min read
With talent and spectators from all over the world, the Rochester Fringe Festival does what no one else can: celebrate what makes us unique.
Things get a little strange when September rolls around.
Don’t worry, it’s a good thing. We’re talking about the ESL Rochester Fringe Festival, a 12-day spectacle where the unexpected is expected. With more than 650 performances across 30+ venues, Fringe transforms downtown Rochester into a living, breathing work of art.
“If you haven’t seen it at the Fringe,” says Erica Fee, the festival’s founding producer, “it probably doesn’t exist.”
Fringe festivals around the globe owe their existence to a single rebellious moment in 1947, when eight uninvited theater troupes showed up alongside the Edinburgh International Festival and decided to perform anyway. In 2012, Rochester added its own flair to the legacy with a model that’s now studied around the world. Known internationally as the “Rochester Model,” the festival uses a unique, two-pronged approach: one part curated lineup, one part open-access programming.
And the people come out in droves. With over 100,000 attendees last year from all over the world, Rochester’s Fringe is now one of the most attended Fringe festivals in the U.S. It’s even earned a nod from The New York Times as “one of the country’s more prominent multidisciplinary events.”
From churches and rooftops to parking lots and parked cars, shows pop up in every imaginable corner. One of the most iconic venues? The Spiegeltent—a hand-crafted, century-old, mirrored tent originally from Belgium, and the only one like it in the U.S.
“When people walk inside, they say they feel transported. They forget about their outside worries and get completely immersed in the show.”
Through its open-access model, the Fringe gives space to emerging artists and experimental work, while still drawing headliners like John Mulaney and Tig Notaro. Even stand-up giant Nate Bargatze once played the Fringe as an opener.
So why Greater ROC? What’s the big draw? Answer: our creative scene. We punch way above our weight when it comes to professional arts and cultural institutions, and we’re passionate about the new shapes our creative minds can make.
“You couldn’t pull this off in just any city,” Fee notes. “The venues here leave open this 12-day period just to support Fringe shows. That’s rare—and that’s Rochester.”
It’s a source of serious pride. For residents, for performers, for artists who live here and tour the world.
“We’re putting Rochester on the global arts map,” says Fee. “And we’re doing it in our own unique, wildly creative way.”