Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival returns to celebrate 35 years
The 14-day immersive cultural experience will feature more than 1,000 ticketed performances spanning theater, dance, storytelling, musicals, comedy and more.
CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF THEATER, DANCE, STORYTELLING, MUSICALS, COMEDY, AND MUCH MORE. THAT’S WHAT’S AHEAD. WHEN THE ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL FRINGE THEATER FESTIVAL RETURNS TO ORLANDO. AND JOINING ME NOW WITH YOUR INVITATION, WE HAVE ORLANDO FRINGE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR TEMPEST HALSTEAD. GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD MORNING. YES. AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER BRUCE COSTELLO. GREAT TO HAVE YOU, BRUCE. ALL RIGHT, LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS FESTIVAL. FOR 35 YEARS YOU’VE BEEN GOING STRONG. IF YOU’VE BEEN IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR ANY AMOUNT OF TIME, YOU PROBABLY HAVE HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT. BUT IF SOMEBODY HAS NEVER GONE, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW AT THE CORE? IT IS A THEATER FESTIVAL, YES, BUT IT’S SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. IT’S A REALLY COMMUNITY DRIVEN EVENT. WE HAVE FREE PROGRAMING, WE HAVE A LAWN YOU CAN HANG OUT ON FOR FREE, GRAB A DRINK, LISTEN TO MUSIC. WE HAVE KIDS FRINGE. WE HAVE VISUAL FRINGE. SO THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO THE FESTIVAL THAN JUST THEATER. BUT IT’S NOT JUST TYPICAL THEATER, IT’S MUSICALS. IT’S STAND UP COMEDY, IT’S DANCE. IT’S SO LIKE SO MASSIVE IN WHAT WE DO. THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY. AND BRUCE, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? YEAR 35 HERE? THIS IS A BIG ONE. OH, YEAH. SO AND WE’RE ACTUALLY THE OLDEST FEST OF THIS KIND IN THE U.S. CONGRATULATIONS. YEAH. THANK YOU. THERE’S ONLY ABOUT 25 FRINGE FESTIVALS IN THE ENTIRE U.S. AND SO IT’S A PRETTY SPECIAL THING THAT WE HAVE. SO I’M JUST EXCITED TO GET TO SEE SO MANY FRIENDS THAT COME EVERY YEAR TO GET TO SEE NEW SHOWS AND MEET NEW FRIENDS. IT’S A BIG COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE. YEAH, COMMUNITY IS A BIG PART OF THIS. AND LET’S TALK ABOUT HIGHLIGHTS FOR THIS BIG CELEBRATION OF OF THE 35TH. WHAT’S NEW? MAYBE WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED FOR PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE THIS YEAR? WE’RE REALLY TRYING TO ENGAGE THE LAWN FOR FREE ACTIVITIES A LOT MORE. SO ON THE FIRST SATURDAY, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE PARTNERING WITH GOBLIN MARKET, WHICH IS A GREAT MARKET. YOU CAN HAVE OUTDOOR, RIGHT? YEAH. OKAY. AND THEN ON THE SECOND SATURDAY, WE’RE DOING FRINGE MARKET, WHICH IS OUR OWN MARKET. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE 50 DIFFERENT VENDORS ON THE LAWN. YOU CAN BUY OUR ARTISAN GOODS, THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THEN ON BOTH SUNDAYS, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE THE KIDS ENTREPRENEUR MARKET. SO THAT IS STRICTLY KID MADE GOODS. AND THEN THEY’RE SELLING IT TO YOU ON THE LAWN. HOW DO KIDS GET INVOLVED? THEY’RE ASKING FOR LIKE SUMMER JOBS AND THINGS. I’VE GOT ARTISTS AND PERFORMERS THERE. YEAH. JUST COME ON THE LAWN AND HAVE THEM DO. A COUPLE OF JUGGLING TRICKS. YEAH, MAGIC AND ART AND. YEAH. OKAY. ALL THIS STUFF IS GREAT. AND WHEN WE’RE TALKING KIDS, THERE ARE THINGS FOR THEM. BRUCE. YEAH. YOU GUYS HAVE HAVE THESE UNIQUE EXPERIENCES. THAT’S CORRECT. SO IN THE WEEKENDS WE HAVE OUR KIDS FRINGE. SO FROM 10 TO 2 SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS DURING THE FESTIVAL, IT’S TOTALLY FREE FOR ANYONE TO ATTEND. THERE’S ACTIVITIES, THERE’S PERFORMANCES. SO WE REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT THE FESTIVAL IS FOR EVERYONE. IF YOU ARE SOMEONE, THERE’S SOMETHING THERE FOR YOU. SO WE WANT TO BE VERY INCLUSIVE IN THAT REGARD. YEAH. AND LET’S TALK SPECIFICALLY, AND I MAY BE PUTTING YOU ON THE SPOT HERE. IS THERE ONE THING, A SHOW, A COMEDIAN, SOMETHING? BRUCE, WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT THIS YEAR? I KNOW IT’S IT’S MAKING YOU PICK YOUR FAVORITE AND THAT’S TERRIBLE. BUT IS THERE SOMETHING AND YOU CAN’T TALK ABOUT THE LAWN AGAIN BECAUSE THOSE ARE AMAZING. I MEAN, HONESTLY, WHAT I LIKE THE MOST IS SEEING SOMETHING THAT I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. JUST WALKING INTO THAT THEATER WITH NO EXPECTATIONS. AND THEN THAT IS HOW I FOUND SOME OF MY MOST FAVORITE SHOWS I’VE EVER EXPERIENCED. JUST BLOWN AWAY. SO IT IS JUST TAKING A CHANCE ON SOMETHING, EVEN A GENRE. YOU’RE LIKE KIND OF HESITANT ABOUT. IT’S LIKE, THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THAT CHANCE. IT’S LOW RISK. IT’S ONLY 15 BUCKS. LIKE THERE’S NOTHING THAT COULD GO WRONG. YEAH, THE, THE SORT OF THING I ALWAYS SAY TO PEOPLE IS, YOU KNOW, I’VE SEEN SHAKESPEARE BEFORE, BUT I’VE NEVER SEEN SHAKESPEARE DONE BY A PODIATRIST BEFORE. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK OPENING UP YOUR, YOUR HEART AND YOUR MIND TO LIKE PEOPLE WANT TO TELL THEIR STORY IN THIS WAY. AND THAT’S SO MAGIC. I THINK YOU’LL SEE EITHER THE BEST THING OR YOUR IN YOUR LIFE, OR YOU MIGHT SEE THE STRANGEST THING IN YOUR LIFE. BUT EITHER WAY, BOTH ARE REALLY GREAT. YEAH. AND THAT’S THE THING IS IT’S THIS EXPERIENCE. AND WHAT’S SO POWERFUL WITH COMING TOGETHER, LIVE PERFORMANCES IS WE ALL COLLECTIVELY EXPERIENCE SOMETHING THAT CAN NEVER BE DONE EXACTLY THAT SAME WAY AGAIN. AND WE’RE ALL PART OF IT. SO IT’S AWESOME. WELL, TICKETS ARE STILL ON SALE. HOW DO WE FIND THOSE? YOU CAN GO TO ORLANDO FRINGE DOT ORG. YOU HAVE ALL THE TICKETING INFORMATION. IT’S FROM FREE TO $15. YOU DO NEED A TICKET AND A BUTTON. YOU DO NOT NEED A BUTTON FOR THE FREE PROGRAMING. SO JUST COME ENJOY. HAVE FUN, BE WHO YOU ARE AND THAT QR CODE ON YOUR SCREEN. YOU CAN SCAN IT WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE RIGHT NOW. THAT WILL GET YOU TO MORE INFORMATION. OR WE’RE GOING TO POST IT ALL ON WESH.COM. TEMPEST. BRUCE, THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH. THANK YOU. CONGRATS ON 35 YEARS. YEAH. ALL RIGHT, LET’S TURN OVER TO FIRST WARNING METEOROLOGIST ERIC BURRIS, BECAUSE ERIC, WHEN WE GOT OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, WE DO LOOK AT THE WEATHER VERY CLOSELY. WE DO. CAN I JUST SAY LIKE, KEEP FRINGE WEIRD? I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. DO YOU SELL THAT SHIRT?
Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival returns to celebrate 35 years
The 14-day immersive cultural experience will feature more than 1,000 ticketed performances spanning theater, dance, storytelling, musicals, comedy and more.
Updated: 9:26 AM EDT May 8, 2026
The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival returns to Central Florida to celebrate 35 years of immersive cultural experiences Tuesday, May 12, through Monday, May 25. The event will feature more than 1,000 ticketed performances spanning theater, dance, storytelling, musicals, comedy and more.Orlando Fringe invites everyone to celebrate the festival’s official opening at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. in the Silver Venue at Orlando Family Stage.Festivalgoers of all ages can enjoy lively events, including themed lawn nights, interactive activities, poetry slams and special collaborations. All ticket sales will directly support the participating local, national and international artists, along with their work. Orlando Fringe Artistic Director Tempestt Halstead and Development Manager Bruce Costella join WESH 2 to preview the event.Click here to learn more about the full schedule, tickets and complete festival information. >> Watch the full interview in the video player above.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival returns to Central Florida to celebrate 35 years of immersive cultural experiences Tuesday, May 12, through Monday, May 25.
The event will feature more than 1,000 ticketed performances spanning theater, dance, storytelling, musicals, comedy and more.
Orlando Fringe invites everyone to celebrate the festival’s official opening at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. in the Silver Venue at Orlando Family Stage.
Festivalgoers of all ages can enjoy lively events, including themed lawn nights, interactive activities, poetry slams and special collaborations.
All ticket sales will directly support the participating local, national and international artists, along with their work.
Orlando Fringe Artistic Director Tempestt Halstead and Development Manager Bruce Costella join WESH 2 to preview the event.
Click here to learn more about the full schedule, tickets and complete festival information.
>> Watch the full interview in the video player above.