The Capital Fringe Festival, also referred to as the DC Fringe Festival, is an annual performing arts event in Washington, DC featuring more than 120 performances in a variety of venues around Washington, DC. The Capital Fringe Festival introduces risk-taking art and non-traditional performances including theater, dance, music, poetry, puppetry and more.
See Photos of the Capital Fringe Festival and get a glimpse of a few of these offbeat performances.
The concept of the festival dates back almost sixty years to Scotland's famed Edinburgh International Festival. "Fringe" was the name taken by performance groups excluded from this prestigious event. Undaunted and determined, these companies created makeshift theatres on the outskirts - or "fringe" - of the established festival. Soon the Fringe Festival gained a large and loyal following, outstripping the mainstream festival.
The Fringe Festival concept migrated to Canada in the 1980s, and today that country boasts Fringe Festivals from coast to coast. In the early 1990s, the fringe concept was embraced in the United States, and today Fringe Festivals are annual events in Orlando, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York.
Capital Fringe Festival Locations
New for 2009, the entire Festival is located within three city blocks between Penn Quarter and Mount Vernon Square in Downtown Washington, DC. See a map- Fort Fringe - The Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar, 607 New York Ave NW, The Shop, 610 L Street NW and Redrum, The Bedroom, 612 L Street NW
- The Trading Post - 1013 7th ST NW
- Warehouse Arts - 1021 7th ST NW
- Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church - 900 Massachusetts Ave NW
- Goethe - Insitut - 812 7th Street NW
- The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street, NW
- Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 Seventeeth Street, NW
- DC Arts Center, 2438 18th Street NW
- Source, 1835 14th Street, NW
- F - Mead Theatre Lab - Flashpoint, 916 G Street, NW
- The Arthur S. Flemming Center, 1426 9th St NW
- Church Street Theater, 1742 Church Street NW
Schedule
Fringe Training Factory workshops are held on Monday and Tuesday evenings and are open to the public. Workshops explore creative learning such as The Art of Creating Political Theatre and Intro to Beatboxing.Wednesday through Friday performances are held in the evening only. Saturday and Sunday Performances begin at noon and run through the evening. The shows vary in length, most are 50-90 minutes.
See a full list of participating artists and performance times at www.capfringe.org.
Tickets
Ticket prices range from FREE to $35 with an average price of $15. Two Festival passes are currently on sale, an All-Access Pass for $300 and a Six-Pack Pass for $75. With an All-Access Pass, a patron can get a ticket to any performance. With a Six-Pack pass, a patron can get six shows for the price of five and have the flexibility to see six individual performances, bring five friends to one performance or anything in between.A $5 Fringe Button is required for entry to all Fringe Festival shows. The button also entitles holders to discounts year-round for theater tickets and restaurants around the city.
Individual performance tickets will be on sale in advance. Tickets will also be sold at performance venues 1 hour before show. (Cash only)
To purchase tickets, call (866) 811-4111 or purchase tickets online or visit the Festival Box Office at 607 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC.
