In The News Archives

San Diego Fringe Festival returns with more shows, venues and global spotlight

May 12, 2026

By Beth Accomando / Arts & Culture Reporter Contributors: Carlos Castillo / Video Journalist San Diego International Fringe Festival returns for its 14th year to celebrate unburied, uncensored creativity from here and abroad. This year, it expands its footprint and prepares to welcome global leaders for the World Fringe Congress. San Diego International Fringe embraces the weird and the wonderful, the unexpected and the profound. It’s wild, innovative and audacious. Beth’s Fringe recommendations Must-see top picks “Just to Be Close to You” — this show should not work, but Cam Porter works some alchemy to deliver a brilliantly funny show about a lounge singer of dubious talent doing a single song. “Re:Re:Reincarnation” and “Are you lovin’ it?” — just go see anything Theatre Group GUMBO does. It never makes any sense, but it is an absolute riot.

SDUT: This week’s list of top things to do include Fringe Festival

May 12, 2026

Excerpt of… Here are some of the best things to do this week in San Diego, from Monday, May 11 to May 15. Tuesday San Diego International Fringe Festival now in session: The 2026 Fringe festival is now playing through May 24, with more than 40 shows by artists from the U.S., Mexico, Australia, Japan and India at 16 venues throughout San Diego and also in Tijuana. This year’s acts include new plays and musicals, music, standup and improv comedy, cabaret, Shakespearean swordplay, dance, drag shows and acrobatics. Individual tickets are $13 each, plus the onetime purchase of a $7 2026 Fringe tag. There will also be multishow ticket discounts. Full details at https://sdfringe.org/ Originally from: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/05/11/the-best-things-to-do-this-week-in-san-diego-may-11-15/…

Artwalk Rosarito Hosts Baja Fringe Director to Unpack the Global Rise of Artistic Freedom

May 12, 2026

TODAY we have a very special transmission on Utopia Radio TV! with Sunny Campa As part of the 15 years of Artwalk Rosarito tonight we are joined as a special guest Barbara Velasco, director of Baja Fringe, to talk about this important international artistic movement that is coming to Baja California. We’ll learn more about the origin of the Fringe movement, born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947, and how it has evolved into a global platform for artistic freedom, cultural exchange and new forms of expression. In addition, he will talk to us about: The arrival of Baja Fringe in Mexico Your collaboration with San Diego International Fringe Festival The joint work with ArtWalk Rosarito and CEART Beaches of Rosarito Alternative spaces and the connection between artists and the audience TODAY Monday 11 May 8:00 PM En vivo…

San Diego International Fringe Festival returning for 14th year, expanding into Baja California

May 12, 2026

Now in its 14th year, the San Diego International Fringe Festival is taking its act across the border. In addition to its 16 venues locally, … …

DrumatiX Will Present RHYTHM DELIVERED at San Diego Fringe Festival

May 12, 2026

… San Diego International Fringe Festival this May with Rhythm Delivered, its signature high-energy, interactive, family-friendly show where … …

San Diego Fringe Jumps the Border With Baja Stage Invasion – Hoodline

May 12, 2026

The San Diego International Fringe Festival runs May 12–24, 2026 and adds Baja Fringe shows in Ensenada and Rosarito alongside SDSU programming. …

Artwalk Rosarito, First Venue in Mexico to Host ‘Baja Fringe’ Project

May 07, 2026

The event aims to strengthen binational cultural cooperation while highlighting the artistic talent emerging from Baja California. By Eric Sanchez In celebration of the 15th anniversary of Artwalk Rosarito, this art festival is set to make history by hosting the “Baja Fringe” project, the binational platform of the San Diego International Fringe Festival, for the first time ever in Mexico. The event aims to strengthen binational cultural cooperation while highlighting the artistic talent emerging from Baja California. “We are thrilled to continue building international connections through artistic projects that see culture as a shared language, without flags or borders,” said Benito Del Águila, director of Artwalk Rosarito. Scheduled for May 23 and 24 at the State Center for the Arts (CEART) in Playas de Rosarito, the event will be completely free to the public, offering a perfect opportunity for those looking to experience local art. Organizers…

San Diego International Fringe Festival Expands with Baja Fringe Initiative

May 07, 2026

The Baja Fringe initiative will feature performances at the Gertrude Pearlman Theatre in Punta Banda, offering a unique cross-border festival experience.By: Stephi Wild The San Diego International Fringe Festival is expanding its creative footprint with the launch of Baja Fringe, a pilot initiative bringing Fringe performances to Ensenada, Baja California as part of the festival’s ongoing effort to support new theatrical work and international artistic exchange. The program will center around the Gertrude Pearlman Theatre in Punta Banda, a community theatre along the Baja coast that has long hosted English-language productions and cultural programming. For artists, the new initiative offers something rarely found in the theatre world: the opportunity to present work in two countries within a single festival run. Participating productions will perform as part of the San Diego International Fringe Festival while select shows will also travel south to Ensenada as part of the Baja Fringe pilot, creating a…

San Diego Fringe Fest Was Built for the Undecided

May 07, 2026

The modern content universe leaves little room for serendipity. Our phones feed us infinite variations of stuff we already know we’ll like. But long before The Algorithm hijacked our capacity for surprise, we were at the mercy of TV schedules in constant flux. We used to channel surf at random, or just settle in to “see what’s on.” There was room to stumble onto something we never could’ve predicted we’d enjoy. The San Diego International Fringe Festival is organized around that spirit of novelty and discovery. The alternative theater showcase is packed with dozens of up-and-coming acts in gobsmacking variety: Where else can you see standup, tap dance, musical drama, parody magic shows, drag, freestyle hip-hopera, ukulele sonnets, solo cello recital meets clown show, “kid goblin improv,” and The Fetus Show, all in two weeks for less than the price of a single Broadway ticket?…

🌍 WHAT’S NEW: SAN DIEGO TO HOST THE WORLD FRINGE CONGRESS in May 2026

February 24, 2026

A Global Cultural Summit Is Coming to America’s Finest City San Diego is about to take its place on the world stage in a way it never has before. In May 2026, the World Fringe Congress — the largest international gathering of Fringe festival leaders, producers, artists, and cultural policymakers — will convene in San Diego, California, with cross-border programming extending into Tijuana, Mexico. This is not just a conference.It is a global cultural summit. 🎭 What Is the World Fringe Congress? The World Fringe Congress is the official international convening of the global Fringe movement — a network of hundreds of festivals spanning six continents. Fringe festivals collectively represent: Thousands of artists annually Millions in direct artist compensation Major cultural tourism impact Open-access artistic platforms without censorship The Congress brings together festival directors, city leaders, funders, cultural diplomats, and artists to shape the future of independent performing arts worldwide.