The stage is set for Old Strathcona’s annual theatre extravaganza.
The 42nd iteration of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival begins in earnest on Thursday, with 186 indoor shows staging 1,558 performances at 37 venues, 21 outdoor performers, 18 artisan vendors, 17 food vendors and five patio/beverage tent spaces set to bring the area alive over 11 days. Indoor shows begin Thursday, Aug. 17, at 8 p.m.
For Fringe artistic director Murray Utas, this year’s festival — theme: The Answer Is Fringe, inspired by Duglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — should be memorable if only because it features the return of many artists who last graced Fringe stages years ago.
“I look at that as such a positive sign of health, recovery and community,” Utas told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday night during a kickoff event at the site. “I think there’s something here that has a spirit that’s kind of hard to describe, but you feel connected. There’s a magic. SOmetimes in theatre, you go to a show then you leave the show, but the Fringe, you don’t leave. You go see a show, you stay, and then there’s an artist you saw and you’re talking to them about the show you just saw. It’s an instant collision between those two wonderful things that allow people to stay around.”
The Fringe site is located in the bosom of Old Strathcona, in the area bounded by 104 Street/Calgary Trail to the west, Gateway Boulevard/103 Street to the east, the alley between 82 and 83 Avenues to the south, and 86 Avenue to the north. That said, a number of venues host shows outside the main site.
Tickets
All tickets are general admission: first come, first served.
- Buy them online
- By phone: 780-409-1910
- In person: at the Fringe Theatre Arts Barns box office (10330 84 Ave.), the 83 Avenue box office (near ATB Park), La Cité Francophone (8627 Rue Marie-Anne Gaboury), The Roxy Theatre (10708 124 St.) or EAC Shop & Services (9930 102 Ave.).
- Daily discount tickets: On each day of the Fringe, discount tickets are available to select performances. They must be purchased in person at any festival box office. Shows offering discounted tickets are posted daily.
Free events and activities
- Kids Fringe: children and caregivers alike are welcome at Light Horse Park.
- Fringe Music Series: the outdoor stage at ATB Park, commonly known as McIntyre Park, features a variety of local musical acts from 9-11 p.m. each night.
- Pêhonân: a celebration of Indigenous performances, installations and stories curated by MJ Belcourt Moses, the Fringe’s new Indigenous director.
- 8-5 Crew: a lineup of some of Edmonton’s hottest graffiti artists, rappers, dancers and microphone assassins on the north side of the festival grounds each weekend of the festival.
Printed guide
- Buy a Fringe Festival guide at the Fringe Theatre Arts Barns box office, the 83 Avenue box office, at 83 Avenue info booths and at festival merchandise booths.
Transportation
- Transit: Routes 4, 8, 404 and 701 travel along Whyte Avenue or Gateway Boulevard. There is a drop-off spot for those using the Disabled Accessible Transit Service (DATS). Plan your trip via ETS.
- Cycle: Bike lock-up is available around Old Strathcona
- Streetcar: The High Level Streetcar offers service between downtown and Old Strathcona, stopping on the Fringe site.
- Parking: Find a place to park your car via this map.
- Shuttle: A free shuttle takes show-goers from the main site to venues (and back) in the French Quarter and near Mill Creek. Hours: Aug. 17, 8 p.m.-12 a.m.; Aug. 18-26, 12 p.m.-12 a.m.; Aug. 27, 12-8 p.m.