SeeCalifornia.com

Fringe festivals are akin to Indie film festivals in that they’re regarded as peripheral to the performing arts they represent such as comedy, puppetry, music and theatrical presentations.

Fringe festivals such as Fresno’s Rogue Festival (pictured) push the boundaries a bit more with names such as “rogue” defined as mischievous, dishonest, scoundrel or scamp. If it’s hard to get a grip on what you can expect, take a look at this year’s Rogue Festival line up:

• Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show: Part Pentecostal revival, preacher Brother Love, unleashing the power of the Holy Ghost on Fresno with songs about the grace of God, the power of love, and the danger of lusty farm animals.
• Songs You Think are About Heartbreak but Really are About Food
• One Legged Man Drives a Stickshift
• Rebel Without a Bra: A Burlesque Cabaret
• The Skinny Show: Beer bottle tricks, 80s rock, improvised advice and Burt Reynolds worship all provided by a storyteller born & raised in the swamps of Georgia.

Fringe festivals have been around for decades around the globe. In California some have come and gone, but still going strong are fringe festivals in cities spanning the state from San Diego to San Francisco.

The guiding principles of fringe societies and organizations include:

• Participants are selected on a non-juried basis, usually through a first-come, first served process.
• 100% of ticket prices go directly to the artists.
• Artistic freedom of the participants is unrestrained.
• Fringe festivals should be easily accessible for audiences and  artists to participate in.