NEWSLETTER
Rochester, NY (September 25, 2026) – The 2026 ESL Rochester Fringe Festival wraps up this weekend with more than 175 performances still scheduled for Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26. Pete Davidson will perform as the Comedy Headliner in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre on Friday evening, and the annual Kids Day returns on Saturday—a National Day of Play—with a full day of family-friendly activities and shows, including annual Fringe favorite Street Beat. Whether you are young or young at heart, there is something for everyone at Fringe!
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th
LET’S GO! TIME TO KICK OFF FRINGE FINAL WEEKEND
8:00pm – 9:30pm Pete Davidson Comedy Headliner
Known for his unforgettable characters on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update,” his unfiltered video podcast The Pete Davidson Show on Netflix, and the critically acclaimed Peacock series Bupkis, Fringe presents a one-night-only show. (Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre)
11:00pm – 12:30am Silent Disco
The glamorous Spiegeltent will be filled once again with a giant dance party. A three-channel system and live DJs let you switch up the music (and mood) at the touch of a button. (Spiegeltent)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th
KIDS DAY AT ESL ROCHESTER FRINGE FESTIVAL
This year’s Kids Day (12 noon - 3:00pm) at Fringe takes place on a National Day of Play observance and the Fringe is celebrating by devoting a full day to the youngest fringers. There will be FREE kid-friendly events, shows, and activities the whole family can enjoy, plus a ticketed, special performance of Cirque du Fringe: Anchors Away! in the Spiegeltent.
12:00pm – 2:00pm Disco Kids
The smash hit returns – a big outdoor party for pint-size partiers at Disco Kids. Lights, music, and glow sticks! (One Fringe Place)
12:00pm – 3:00pm Kids Chalk Art
The forever-popular Kids Chalk Art transforms One Fringe Place into one giant, colorful canvas. We bring the chalk; you bring the creativity! (Dawn’s Spiegelgarden)
12:00pm – 2:00pm Pumpkin Painting
Show us your wildly imaginative creations at our outdoor Pumpkin Painting jamboree. Turn One Fringe Place into a giant pumpkin patch! (Dawn’s Spiegelgarden)
12:00pm – 3:00pm 9th Avenue Street Circus
A duo performance featuring multiple circus skills: balancing, spinning, juggling, hula hooping, teetering on unstable surfaces—all at the same time! (Dawn’s Spiegelgarden)
2:30pm – 4:00pm Cirque du Fringe: Anchors Away! (Tickets required)
From America's Got Talent to Cirque du Soleil and from Las Vegas's Absinthe, to Broadway and beyond, this highly skilled and seasoned cast of performers are coming from all over the world to present a show you won't want to miss. Special matinee for kids ages 5 and up! (Spiegeltent)
12:00pm – 5:00pm Fringe Street Beat
The excitement, the energy, the adrenaline-pumping action returns. The best teams bring the moves. The DJ brings the beats. Trials: 12:30pm - 3:00pm / Finals: 3:30pm - 5:00pm (Martin Luther King, Jr. Park)
7:30pm –10:10pm Pedestrian Drive-In: Hamilton (PG-13)
Outdoors on a giant screen with our Silent Disco headphones. Grab a seat, sit back, and enjoy a FREE movie in Dawn’s Spiegelgarden under the stars. (Dawn’s Spiegelgarden)
LAST CHANCE TO SEE THESE MUST-SEE SHOWS
Fringe attendees have only a few chances left to visit the fabulous Spiegeltent and Dawn’s Spiegelgarden and check out some of the most popular shows and attractions of this year--including Cirque du Fringe: Anchors Away!, Shotspeare, Just to Be Close to You, Tea Party at the End of the World, and the Silent Disco. There is also a special performance by a local legend, Thomas Warfield: Let the Music Heal You, on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 4:45pm.
The Fringe runs through September 26. Tickets are available online at rochesterfringe.com, via phone at (585) 957-9837 (additional phone fees apply), via the Rochester Fringe Festival App, which is available for download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, in person at the Justin L. Vigdor Fringe Box Office at One Fringe Place (corner of Main & Gibbs Streets), and at the doors of all venues one hour before curtain. For more information, visit rochesterfringe.com.
ABOUT THE ESL ROCHESTER FRINGE FESTIVAL:
The 12-day ESL Rochester Fringe Festival is one of the nation’s largest fringe festivals and has been recognized by the New York Times as “one of the country’s more prominent multidisciplinary events.” It is also New York State’s largest performing arts festival and the current winner, three years running, of CITY Magazine’s Best of Rochester Award for Best Arts Event. This year, the Fringe celebrates its 15th season. Nearly a million people have attended more than 7,000 performances and events at the Fringe since its inception in 2012. The non-profit organization’s mission is to offer platforms for artists, new audiences for venues, and unparalleled public access to incredible art. It strives to be diverse and inclusive, as well as to stimulate downtown Rochester culturally and economically. The Fringe showcases the work of regional, national, and international artists from emerging to superstar. Audiences at Fringe also have the rare opportunity to attend a performance at the Spiegeltent, which is one of the most unique performing arts venues in the world.
ABOUT ESL:
With more than 100 years of locally owned history, ESL Federal Credit Union serves as a full-service financial institution to more than 465,000 members and 18,800 businesses. Founded in 1920, the company provides personal banking, business banking, mortgage services and wealth management services through its locally based 33-branch network; telephone, mobile and online banking; and live chat center. The Rochester-based financial institution employs more than 1,000 people in the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region and holds more than $10.8 billion in assets. Since 1996, ESL has paid out 30 consecutive years of Owners’ Dividends to its members totaling more than $350 million. Since the creation of its Community Impact initiative in 2018, ESL has reinvested more than $182 million in grants throughout the community. The company has appeared on Great Place to Work® lists since 2010. ESL Federal Credit Union is headquartered at 225 Chestnut Street, in Rochester, and can be found online at www.esl.org.
ESL ROCHESTER FRINGE SPONSORS:
ESL, I LOVE NY; Ames Amzalak Memorial Trust; Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation; Rochester Area Community Foundation; 7Crest Financial Partners; Dr. Dawn F. Lipson; Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation; New York State Council on the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts, City of Rochester; Monroe County; University of Rochester; RIT; Mary Mulligan Trust; Elaine P. and Richard U. Wilson Foundation; Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk Foundation; Konar Enterprises; Golisano Foundation; The Rubens Family Foundation; Constellation Brands; Mi Campo Tequila; Lake Beverage; The Inn on Broadway; Hyatt Regency Rochester; Nazareth University; St. John Fisher University; Monroe Community College; The Pike Company; Hamilton A/V; Wilkins RV; McCarthy Tents & Events; Broccolo Tree & Lawn Care; Aspire Transformation Services; CSL Plasma; Liccardi Radio Services; Finger Lakes Distilling; Visit Rochester; University of Rochester Medicine Orthopedics & Physical Performance; The Spindler Family Foundation; The Harley School; Wegmans; City Blue Imaging; Canandaigua National Bank; Yelp!; AdHouse Productions, Walk Up Advertising, Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC and House of Guitars.
2026 FRINGE VENUES:
Aerial Arts of Rochester, Austin Steward Plaza, Biltmore Bar & Lounge, Blackfriars Theatre, Bop Shop Records, Centerstage Theatre at the JCC, Central Library of Rochester, Century Club at the Strathallan, Downtown United Presbyterian Church, Delmonico and Dugdale, Eastman School of Music, The Focus Theater, Garth Fagan Dance Studio, Genesee Valley Park, George Eastman Museum, Gibbs Street, The Harley School, The Hochstein School, Java's, Joseph Ave Arts and Culture Alliance at the Lincoln Library, Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre, La Marketa at the International Plaza, Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, Memorial Art Gallery, Mt. Hope Cemetery, MuCCC, Parcel 5, Photo City Music Hall, The Little, RIT City Art Space, RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium, RMSC: Garden of Fragrance, ROC Cinema, Roc City Circus, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, The Rose Room, Salena's, School of the Arts, Dawn’s Spiegelgarden, Spiegeltent, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, University of Rochester – Sloan Performing Arts Center, Vanni’s Jazz Lounge at the Inn on Broadway and Washington Grove.
ABOUT FRINGE FESTIVALS:
In 1947, eight theatre groups showed up - uninvited - to perform at the newly established Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland. Although not listed in the official program, the groups performed anyway, at venues they found for themselves. The following year, a Scottish journalist coined the term “festival fringe” to describe these non-curated shows that began turning up annually. The Edinburgh Fringe is now the world’s largest arts festival and the third largest event after the Olympics and the World Cup. Today, there are more than 250 Fringe Festivals worldwide, with nearly 50 in the United States. The ESL Rochester Fringe Festival was the first in Upstate New York.
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