What is Fringe?

Origins

The original Fringe Festival, in Edinburgh, Scotland, began in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival. Fringe cropped up as an option for acts that showed up uninvited and wanted somewhere to perform anyway. Whatever venues were available— theaters, galleries, bars, shops and more—housed these acts and a new festival was born. That’s the ethos of Fringe, the spirit every festival since has sought to capture.

Who is Fringe For?

Fringe is for those acts on the outskirts of the mainstream—the theatre, comedy, performing arts, music, and more that you might not see in a traditional festival. Fringe acts are known for being weird and abstract, thought-provoking and irreverent—but they don’t have to be any of that. Anything performed at the Fringe festival is Fringe. And that’s that.

Here are some ideas of what Fringe can be:

• A Gregorian chant cover band
• A one-man show about depression set in a cubicle
• An entirely improvised reality TV spoof
• An interpretive dance about the horrors of war
• A puppet show for kids!
• A play where everyone is silent, including the audience

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s hit show Fleabag started at Edinburgh Fringe. So did Taskmaster, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

Short answer: Fringe is whatever you want it to be. If you have an act you’d like to submit, check out our Submissions Page for more details.

How Do I Submit?

Submissions generally open in late December and close at the end of January. Details, requirements, and deadlines are posted on our Submissions Page.

When is Fringe?

The third annual Green Bay Fringe Festival will take place from July 16–19, 2026. This four-day fest will include multiple acts at several downtown venues. Come for one show or catch every show you can! Tickets are on sale now—find acts and ticketing details on our Ticketing Page.

Why Green Bay?

Why not? Green Bay has always been sort of a Fringe city. We’re the third largest metro in Wisconsin and the smallest market in the U.S. to have an NFL team. We’re the birthplace of both splinter-free toilet paper and Tony Shalhoub. We take pride in being called Cheeseheads and we have a soup called Booyah.

More importantly, Green Bay is a growing arts community. Arts and culture nonprofits have increased dramatically over the past decade, bucking national trends. There are dozens of small theater companies, arts organizations, and music venues in our city and thousands upon thousands of arts supporters.

We’re using our Fringe Festival as an opportunity to give a platform to our city’s art. We’re inviting acts from around the state, country, or world that want to see what Green Bay has to offer. We’re building bridges that connect artists to audiences, audiences to Fringe, and Fringe to Green Bay.

Our Mission

The Green Bay Fringe Festival is a confluence of diverse and vibrant artists and audiences. Our mission is to create a radical platform that celebrates art on the periphery and fosters collaboration, dialogue, and innovation between performers and audiences alike. Through an eclectic mix of performances, exhibitions, and educational programs, we aim to make the arts accessible, inclusive, and equitable for all. We strive to not just entertain but to provoke thought, inspire change, and weave the ethos of “fringe” into the cultural tapestry of our community.