1992–1999: early years and growth Founders Terry Olson, Rick Kunst, and Andy Anthony originally came to Orlando as members of the
SAK Theatre Company, which produced, performed, and managed live audience participatory comedy shows at
Disney’s Epcot. When Disney failed to renew their contract, SAK refocused on launching its own Orlando theatre venue, hosting a troupe of performers who traveled to
Renaissance fairs and fringe festivals. In the early 1980s, a group of SAK's touring artists, led by Olson, performed at the
Edinburgh Fringe. The experience made a strong impression on the troupe. A few years later, co-founder Rick Kunst, inspired by the
Edmonton Fringe Festival in
Canada, suggested to Olson that SAK consider bringing a fringe festival to Orlando. The pair decided to bring on Andy Anthony as a third founding producer, as Anthony had extensive experience on the Canadian fringe circuit. Performers were chosen on a first-come-first-served basis, with the 28 performing groups. In 1994, Orlando Fringe became the southernmost member of the
Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals. The 3rd Annual Orlando Fringe Festival saw 50,000 attendees. The following year, Orlando Fringe became a nonprofit organization, forming its first Board of Directors and adopting its bylaws. The 4th Annual Orlando Fringe Festival saw 70,000 people attend the festival, which had expanded to 7 venues. In 1999, Orlando Fringe was ranked the #1 U.S. Fringe Festival for attendance, with 13,000 tickets sold, and #1 among U.S. Festivals for dollars returned, with over $60,000 going back to artists. Orlando Fringe was ranked #5 in North America for attendance and dollars returned to artists.
2000–2010: challenges and resilience In 2002, a fire broke out in the old Bryan Hotel on West Church Street, where Orlando Fringe stored its schedule boards, podiums, and archives. No programs or photos survived the fire. Local businesses and artists rallied to raise funds for Orlando Fringe. The 11th Annual Orlando Fringe Festival shifted to May to make it easier for local theme park employees to participate. In 2003, the Seattle Fringe Festival closed, making Orlando Fringe the longest continuous-running Fringe Festival in the United States. In 2004, the 13th Annual Orlando Fringe Festival venues split between Downtown Orlando and Loch Haven Park. The following year, the festival shifted to Loch Haven Park entirely. In 2009, an economic impact study of the festival showed that it contributed $1.46 million to the Orlando economy.
2011–2019: milestones and expansion In 2014, Orlando Fringe hosted the
CAFF and USAFF Conferences, welcoming representatives from 70 fringe festivals from around the world. In 2015, an economic impact study showed Orlando Fringe's impact surpassed 2 million dollars in local revenue. Attendance surged by 30%, making it the most financially successful festival in history, with more than $375,000 in artist payments. Orlando Fringe moves its year-round operations to Loch Haven Park, housed inside the Lowndes Shakespeare Center. In 2017, the 1st Annual Orlando Fringe Winter Mini-Fest took place January 5–8. It consisted of only four venues and 21 shows hand-picked from the past festival. The 26th Annual Orlando Fringe Festival attracted 70,400 attendees and expanded to 14 days. That same year, Executive Director George Wallace left the Orlando Fringe to work for the Indianapolis Fringe Festival. Alauna Friskics was named the new Executive Director as a result of her work with the nearby
Garden Theatre in the city of
Winter Garden, Florida, and her previous involvement with Orlando Fringe. In 2019, the Winter Mini-Fest expanded to include new works from favorite Orlando Fringe performers and works by performers who have never performed in Orlando. Micheal Marinaccio moved to the newly created position of Show Director while his former associate producer, Lindsay Taylor stepped into the newly created role of Theatre Producer. The 28th Annual Orlando Fringe Festival was proclaimed "The Best Year Ever," with attendance at an all-time high.
2020–present: innovation and adaptation On March 19, 2020, festival organizers announced that due to the outbreak of
COVID-19, the 29th Annual Orlando International Fringe Festival was canceled. Executive Director Alauna Friskics said of the cancellation, "We have worked countless financial scenarios and considered all stakeholders. We believe this is the most prudent course so the festival can come back strong next year." On April 23, 2020, Orlando Fringe announced an online festival called "Fringe Today" that would span May 12–25, the same dates as the canceled annual festival. The event took place on
Zoom and
Facebook with the feed broadcast on the festival website. The online event featured live and recorded performances, interviews, and demonstrations. During the opening ceremonies, Orlando Mayor
Buddy Dyer proclaimed that Fringe Today would count as the 29th festival for the organization. On February 17, 2021, festival organizers announced they would be returning on May 18–31, 2021 with a live in-person festival and introduced DigiFringe, a digital performance festival that would take place June 4–18, 2021. Orlando Fringe hosted delegates from other Fringe Festivals around the world as host of the
World Fringe Congress on May 19–23, 2022. In January 2023, Orlando Fringe opened the 9,100-square-foot Fringe ArtSpace, taking the place of
Mad Cow Theatre at 54 W. Church St., with the mission of offering "artist-focused programming" focused on "building a dynamic, inspiring community of artists and arts lovers with the purpose of providing artists a safe environment to create, experiment, collaborate and showcase their creations." == Festival programs ==