Looking for something unconventional, unexpected, unforgettable, and downright off-the-wall to do in Indianapolis? Look no further than the IndyFringe Festival, also known as the Indianapolis Theater Fringe Festival. This annual celebration of quirky performance art takes place over ten days in August, and has over 250 shows and more than 50 performance groups. The Festival occupies the Massachusetts Avenue Art District, known to connoisseurs of Indianapolis culture as Mass Ave.
Doing Indy video about the indyFringe Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana
The Indy Fringe Festival is a modern-day extension of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that was created in 1947. One of the many culturally profitable offspring of former Mayor Bart Peterson’s Cultural Tourism Initiative, the IndyFringe Festival has been going strong for five years.
In 2001, a panel of several experts and a host of Indianapolis citizens, asked to guide the blossoming of Indianapolis theaters, determined that an indyFringe Festival would be an excellent venture to jump start the burgeoning theatre movement. The Festival is now an annual occurrence and is one of the more well-known Indianapolis fairs and festivals.
The indyFringe Festivalhas everything a lover of the extraordinary could want: both conventional and non-conventional theater, music, improv groups, dance performances, and other visual and performing arts. Performers come from all over Indiana, the United States, and the world.
IndyFringe is not limited to one venue and one show at a time; instead, it encompasses a half-dozen stages spread around six well-known hotspots of Indianapolis nightlife: the Phoenix Theatre, ComedySportz Indianapolis, the Theatre on the Square, the Murat Theatre, the Earth House Collective, and the newly renovated indyFringe building.
All of the IndyFringe Festival venues are located just a stone’s throw away from each other in the Mass Ave cultural district. You can also catch a glimpse of the performers of tomorrow at FringeNext, a stage designed specifically for young artists and Indianapolis kids to showcase their talents. The 2009 Fringe Next will take place exclusively in the indyFringe building on the corner of East St Clair Street, right off of the intersection of College and Mass Ave.
After the shows are done for the day or you just want to stretch your legs out in between performances, take a stroll down Mass Ave and keep your eyes open. Starting in 2009 the indyFringe Festival has invited buskers (street performers) to ply their trade and skills at all times of the day and night. These dedicated artisans might be magicians, jugglers, dancers or just “unique” individuals and are yet another way for Fringe Festival goers to be entertained.
Throughout the whole indyFringe Festival there will be an outdoor stage which host a complete line-up of performers, it is mostly musical acts but a few dance crews and art exhibits will find their way on stage as well. The best part about the outdoor stage, which will be located on the opposite side of College and Mass Ave from the indyFringe building, is that all you need to rock out is your Fringe button. Around the stage will be local vendors to grab a quick snack from or, if the spirit so moves you, something a little stronger…that is if you’re old enough.
Another of the can’t miss features the indyFringe provides its patrons is Visual Fringe. Visual Fringe kicks off on the first Friday of August in conjunction with the first Friday art walk hosted by the Indiana Downtown Artists and Dealers Association or IDADA. Visual Fringe is a great way to get in the mode for what have always been unforgettable indyFringe Festivals. It is also a great excuse to get out and walk around downtown Indy while checking out some of the best Indianapolis art galaries like the Franklin Berry Gallery at The Frame Shop.
Take notice as both the Theatre on the Square and the Earthouse Collective will be pulling double duty for the visual and performance sides of the Fringe Festival. The world-renowned Herron School of Art and Design will have some of its best students displaying artwork at the Earth House as a way to show their support. All in all there are just way too many reasons to do the indyFringe Festival, so don’t fight it do it, and be there when something special happens.
IndyFringe Headquarters
719 E St Clair St
Indianapolis, IN 46202
317.522.8099
For more information on the IndyFringe Theatre Festival, visit IndyFringe’s homepage.
