"2023 Rochester Fringe Festival: Free Spectacles, Tips, and More"

The Rochester Fringe Festival, known for its multidisciplinary showcases, is back with a program of free spectacles that include performances by the French company Cirque Inextremiste. This year's festival features attractions such as acrobats and a grand piano dangling off a hot-air balloon. The festival's commitment to free public events sets it apart from other fringe festivals in the United States, and past iterations have included impressive displays like dancers rappelling down skyscrapers and street parades of enormous fish puppets. Despite logistical challenges and the impact of the pandemic, fringe festivals have proven to be adaptable and successful in the post-pandemic cultural landscape.