Minnesota Fringe

Keep Producer Fees Low & Fringe Festival Accessible to All

Freedom of expression is under threat - and Minnesota Fringe is feeling the pressure. Rising costs and shrinking public funding puts this important platform for bold, uncensored storytelling at risk.

Minnesota Fringe is more than just a festival. It's where artists can take risks, challenge norms, and connect to audiences through joy, protest, and truth. But to remain accessible to all artists, we must raise $60,000 now, or we may need to DOUBLE producer fees. This negatively impacts the affordability of participation, making it harder for new producers and future artists to share their talents. 

Since 1993, Minnesota Fringe has connected adventurous artists with adventurous audiences. Our programs serve as a vital space for artists from a wide variety of backgrounds, abilities, and experience levels to explore new ideas, make new work, and generate a livelihood. Minnesota Fringe as a beacon for freedom of expression and it is critical that we work together to protect this vital institution and see it thrive throughout these turbulent times.

Help us close our $60,000 budget gap before January 15 by raising a minimum of $20,000 in gifts during Give to the Max. Every gift makes a significant difference to the hundreds of artists we serve each year. We appreciate you!

The 33rd annual Minnesota Fringe Festival will take place August 6-16, 2026, where both new and familiar friends will gather to feel the vibrant pulse of life that is live theater and cultivate a rich performing arts community in the process.

"The Wickie" by Richie Whitehead
Photo Credit: Dan Norman"Joan of Arc for Miss Teen Queen USA" by Melancholics Anonymous
Photo Credit: Dan Norman

"Breach" by Third Space Theater
Photo Credit: Alex Wohlhueter

 "Manasu - Echoes of the Mind" by SAATH
Photo Credit: Sara Erdman "Songs Without Words (or, The Mendelssohn Plan) by Jennifer Vosters
Photo Credit: Alex Clark