The 2022 edition of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival got underway in Old Strathcona on Thursday. The annual event brings talented performers from all over the world to Alberta’s capital each year, and as it turns out, volunteers from beyond Canada’s borders as well.
“You gotta be all in and you’ve gotta have the whole experience,” Fringe volunteer Andrea Hillerud told Global News on Thursday. She said she came from the U.S. to volunteer and 2022 likely marks her 18th year attending the festival.
“It’s the biggest Fringe festival in North America… and it’s the best,” she said, noting she used to live in Edmonton. “It’s the best Fringe theatre festival there is.”
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Hillerud noted there’s also a Fringe in Minnesota where she is from.
“It’s good, but it’s not as good as this one,” she said.
“It’s not just seeing some shows. It’s hanging out in the beer gardens, it’s shopping around with the vendors, it’s eating your green onion cakes and seeing all the street performers.”
Hillerud said coming to the Fringe in Edmonton for so many years has been an interesting experience.
“Year after year, seeing the same people and artists again, it’s actually quite fun to see artists who have come back… See the evolution of things they produce.”
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This year’s Fringe festival runs from Aug. 11 to Aug. 21 and features over 160 shows at 27 different venues.
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