For eleven days in September the city hands its black boxes, gallery basements and one ruined coastal fort over to whoever’s name came out of a hat. No jury, no house style, no safe bets — 54 shows drawn by lottery, most of them about an hour, most of them cheaper than dinner, and every base ticket dollar going straight to the people on stage.
The Fringe runs its own box office, and the artists write their own listings — running time, venue, price and content warnings included. We point you at it rather than re-typing it, because a Fringe schedule changes right up to the day of.
The Fringe has used 10–14 venues in recent years and the 2026 room assignments are printed against each show in the guide. Check the listing, not this page, before you set out.
A whole strand built for small people — and the rest of the guide flags age suitability show by show, so the eleven a.m. puppet hour and the midnight filth never get confused.
The Fringe is a non-profit run by a volunteer board, and the festival itself runs on ushers, box-office shifts and load-ins. It is also the cheapest way to see a lot of theatre.
Because 100% of the base ticket goes to the artists, the festival itself is funded by grants, sponsors and donations. Giving is through CanadaHelps, receipt and all.