THE MINNESOTA FRINGE FESTIVAL 2014

For a fortnight in early August each year, Minneapolis comes alive with an amazing performing arts festival.  Well, actually it’s only for eleven days so not quite a fortnight, but close enough. 

The Minnesota Fringe Festival, now in its twenty-first year, is one of many Fringe Festivals held throughout North America, and is the third largest.  Every year well over one hundred shows perform at various venues throughout the city.  This year 169 shows are performing at nineteen venues.

A wide array of performance art is explored and experienced here during what is the largest non-juried festival in the United States.  Originally, entry to the festival was on a “first come, first served” basis until the available spots were filled, but in 2004, on the first day that applications were accepted, more applications were received than spots available.  To address this situation, the festival instituted a lottery process that has been in place ever since.  This process is fair and transparent.

We are a little over half way through this year’s festival, and I have only made it two shows so far, but am planning on several others.  So far I’m 50/50 on how I’ve enjoyed the shows, but nothing has been totally disappointing.  The shows last an hour or less.

The Minnesota Fringe Festival is one of the late summer highlights that I look forward to each year, and at $12 per show it’s an affordable way to view a wide variety and number of shows.  The festival runs through this weekend, so if you haven't already done so, there is still time for you to catch a few of the shows.

***Have you been to any performing arts festivals? Leave me a    

      message below and tell me about your experience.