FESTIVALS

The Sideshow Fringe Festival, Nashville’s Progressive Performing Arts Event, is a 4-day celebration featuring theatre and related live presentations with an emphasis on original and innovative pieces. Dance, music, puppetry, aerial arts, juggling, poetry, and more is showcased in a multi-venue setting with free outdoor events and family friendly offerings.

HOW TO FRINGE
1. BUY A BUTTON (One time purchase)
With your $5.00 Fringe Button, you can purchase tickets to any Fringe show over all 4 days of the festival and you gain access to special free events and discounts from local businesses! No Button = NO Show Entry (no exceptions).
2. GRAB A TICKET (1 ticket per show)
All tickets are $10 to help keep accounting simple and artists' payout prompt. We offer no late seating because you never know when there's an artist out there on stage hanging from the ceiling, juggling knives, or breathing fire--and we want to keep you safe and coming back to the theatre! Tickets can be purchased online or at the festival.
3. JUMP frINge!
Fringe is all about the thrill of trying something new and unexpected; it's a kind of performing arts smorgasbord that audiences can sample according to their appetite for adventure. It's fast-paced and sure to incite conversation. It's purposefully low-tech to allow the spectacle of raw talent and innovation to take center stage. See a show that seems like something you'd be into and then take a risk on something outside your comfort zone - you'll be glad you did!

WHAT IS FRINGE?
• Focused on the performing arts: Theater, dance, puppetry, spoken word and the like make up the Fringe core, but festivals often may include film and visual arts elements. Fringes don't have a focus on a single discipline or genre, but are a performing-arts smörgåsbord
•Easy to participate in: Ticket prices are low for audiences and production fees are low for artists.
•Festivals: They last from just a few days to a few weeks and involve boatloads of people at multiple venues
•Original: Fringes feature a huge array of original works—sometimes by design, but usually because that’s what Fringes naturally do well
•Rapid-fire: Typically, tech is minimal and time is a factor at our festivals. Shows are often kept brief (Fringes most frequently have shows right around 60 minutes in length) and technical requirements kept simple (minor sets, streamlined cues, nothing elaborate)

FESTIVAL DETAILS
This year’s festival is situated in the heart of the Belmont/Hillsboro neighborhood. Over the span of 4 days, over 300 artists will come together with volunteers, academics, arts administrators, local businesses, community activists, and neighbors to offer nearly 50 unique performances in 6 spectacular venues (Troutt Theater, Black Box Theater, Belcourt Theater, Bongo Java After Hours Theater, the Belmont Little Theatre, and the Belmont Hillsboro Neighbors’ Outdoor Stage).