31st annual International Fringe Festival kicks off in Old Strathcona

You never know what you’ll encounter down in Old Strathcona but, for the next ten days you know it’ll be something bizarre yet, entertaining. That’s because the 31st annual Edmonton International Fringe Festival has officially taken over.

Kicking off Thursday evening with the Fringe parade, the festival runs from August 16th through to the 26th. This year’s festival is named “The Village of the Fringed.”

Fringers sang and danced, some in costume as they made their way down 85th Avenue.

The Village of the Fringed showcases over 1,800 performers from around the globe in 215 shows.

“The crème de la crème come down to Old Strathcona and perform for Edmontonians that are theatre savvy,” says staff member Thomas Scott.

From plays to busking acts, vendors to artisans, organizers say this is the biggest Fringe Festival to date.

“We’re very excited because artists are coming from around the world and they’re coming here to showcase and develop their work in front of Edmontonians.”

New this year is the daily discount booth, which offers a 50 percent discount on tickets for select performances. Each day, the fabulous artists will decide which of their shows will go on sale. Tickets will be sold for shows playing that day only. The booth is located beside the train tracks, on the way to KidsFringe. The daily discount booth opens one hour prior to the first scheduled performance of the day and closes when the last show it was selling tickets for has started.

With sunny skies in the forecast, what better way to spend your time off than down in Old Strathcona, enjoying the sights and sounds that are “The Village of the Fringed.”