Who runs the Cincinnati Fringe Festival?
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival is produced by Know Theatre of Cincinnati as our final event of each season. All year-round Know Theatre staff work on the Festival. We also bring in part-time staffers and an army of volunteers to help make the magic happen.
What is the Cincinnati Fringe Festival?
A 14-day celebration of theatre, art, music, film, dance, and everything between — it’s Cincinnati’s Summer Theatre Party! Heading into our 23rd year, the Cincy Fringe (as it’s succinctly known) presents over 150 performances of 35+ theatre productions during the first two weeks of June, plus free Late Night programming every night of the festival at Fringe Headquarters – the Know Theatre.
Where is the Cincinnati Fringe Festival?
Know Theatre serves as Fringe HQ and is also a venue for performances, but a half dozen spaces in the beautiful and historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati are transformed into pop-up venues during the Festival. The festival’s footprint is small and ensures that no venue is ever more than a 15-minute stroll from Fringe HQ.
Our 22nd Anniversary Festival in 2025 was held at Gabriel’s Corner at Salem United Church of Christ, First Lutheran Church, Coffee Emporium, the Miami University Center for Community Outreach in Over the Rhine and at the Know Theatre – all in the heart of OTR.
When is the 2026 Cincinnati Fringe Festival?
Friday, May 29th – Saturday, June 14th, excluding Mondays (our dark days.) Ticketed performances run between 6:00PM-10:00PM on Weekdays and 1:00PM-10:00PM on Weekends, with our famous Late Night programming every night at 10pm – always at the Know Theatre and always free.
Why is the 2026 Cincinnati Fringe Festival?
The Cincy Fringe – like all other Fringe Festivals – exists to give opportunities to artists — especially independent artists — to present their work. The freedom artists have to create whatever they want — within the parameters of an hour — makes Fringe Festivals a popular destination for more experimental and unusual productions. The Cincy Fringe has grown into an exceptional opportunity for independent theatre artists — both local and touring — to present brand new or in-progress work. Our low upfront costs make the Cincy Fringe a low risk financially, and our immensely supportive core of patrons – the All-Access Pass Holders — are deeply invested in seeing as many productions as possible. We intentionally curate a smaller festival in order to create the opportunity for artists and patrons to see every production presented over the span of the two week festival
How is the 2026 Cincinnati Fringe Festival?
Thanks for asking!
We’re really excited to bring you an incredible line up of shows this year!
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