Aloha, the O‘ahu Fringe Festival (OFF) is a live performing arts event that promotes original works of art in Hawai'i. It doesn't matter if you are a seasoned pro or new artist; we welcome you all to showcase your exciting original work. And we welcome audience members to join us and be part of an exciting event that will be goin' OFF.

In September 2010, we will introduce our festival to the world with our official Fringe Launch.

In November 2011, our first official Fringe Festival will kick OFF right in the heart of the Arts District of Honolulu.

What is a Fringe Festival?

A Fringe Festival is an event that showcases art forms such as theatre, dance, music, comedy, visual arts, street performance, zany acts and many more. Each Fringe is unique to its host city with festivals lasting anywhere from 3 to 10 days or longer, and is usually held in various traditional and non-traditional performance venues.

At its core a Fringe Festival is for everyone, shows are:

• Uncensored – choose and explore any subject matter or art form
• Un-juried – open to all who wish to participate
• Accessible – affordable ticket prices

The Fringe brings people together. Visitors from afar come as audience members or as Fringe participants. They join local artists, businesses and of course the community to invigorate a buzz that stimulates a positive economic growth and cultural energy. And, for the most part, shows are usually an hour long; giving audiences the opportunity to see a number of original productions in one night.

Go Fringe. You’ll love it.

Fringe History

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, many artists were gearing up to participate in an annual arts event in a land called Edinburgh, Scotland. Every artist worked diligently through both the day and night towards the BIG EVENT. Anticipation was high as these artists were happy for the opportunity to show off their creative work for all to see.

When it was time to present their work, a sad cloud rained on their big day. You see, an official word was sent inviting only certain artists to perform. If you did not receive an official invite, you were out of luck. You could not perform at the official arts event.

Boys and Girls this is a sad story, yes, but it does not end here. The uninvited artists were a brave bunch and were very forward thinkers. They did not give up. They brilliantly came up with a wonderful idea of presenting their own work around the fringes of the annual arts event.

BRILLIANT! The concept of the Fringe Festival was thus born. So Boys and Girls, in 1947 in Edinburgh, Scotland the uninvited artists were the first pioneers of the Fringe, and it has taken off. Yes, we all like happy endings.

The original Edinburgh Fringe Festival is still going strong and is a permanent fixture on the Scottish artistic landscape. Now many cities around the world like Adelaide, Orlando, and Auckland have adopted the Fringe model to create their own unique and exciting festival. To find out more about Fringe Festivals around the globe check out these links: FringeFestivals US or World Festival Network – enjoy.

Honolulu, it is our turn.

With our Fringe Launch in 2010, we will blast OFF.