Our Mission is to bring together a community of creators inspired to share their stories through theater, music and art that highlights human connection in new and exciting ways.

Our Vision is to strengthen our community socially and economically through artistic experiences that are transformative and accessible.

Founder’s Note: It's easy getting drawn to the fringe.  After seeing several fringe festivals, I wanted to be part of this funny, thoughtful, beautiful collection of work. This is what art should be or, rather, is actually. Pulling together artists in our region—seeing what they’re eager to contribute—brings that energy here.  I hope this festival creates new openings for sharing our inspiration for the arts. 

- Caleb Corkery, Feb. 12, 2026

History of the Fringe:

The Fringe began in 1947 in Edinburgh, Scotland, not as an official event, but rather a spontaneous act of artistic defiance. Eight theatre groups who had been excluded from the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival arrived in the city ready to perform anyway. The event was invitation-only and had been established to celebrate European culture after World War II. Despite not being invited, these eight groups found their own spaces on the "fringe" of the main festival and put on their shows anywhere from churches and community centers to restaurants and movie theatres. This informal, open-access approach became incredibly popular, and more performers followed suit in subsequent years. By 1958 a society had formed to manage the Fringe, still running alongside the Edinburgh International Festival.

There are now over 250 independent fringe festivals worldwide. Harrisburg, York and Reading have Fringe Festivals– so why not Lancaster?

Our Story:

This story's spirit of artistic defiance inspired Caleb Corkery, a Lancaster resident, playwright, and professor of English at Millersville University, to organize a similar festival in Lancaster to highlight the amazing array of working artists here in Lancaster.

Corkery, a long time member of the Lancaster Dramatist Platform, approached the local nomadic theatre company, Creative Works of Lancaster. Known for its quirky character and focus on new works, Creative Works of Lancaster agreed to offer their support as a producing partner.

Board member Frith Rooney joined as project liaison in June, 2024 and quickly became fascinated by the idea. Rooney, a stagehand and creator, had participated in a Fringe Festival as an actor, but wasn’t aware of the history and scope of the Fringe phenomenon. Corkery and Rooney began meeting with local artists, business owners and community leaders… and interest in the project bloomed!

Collaborating with the Lancaster community in monthly forums, Corkery and Rooney developed this seed of an idea into a living sapling. Fringe Festivals are not centralized. Each one reflects the artistic landscape of that city, and Lancaster’s artistic community had no hesitation in expressing their shared vision.

When a fiscal sponsor for the project couldn’t be found, Corkery and Rooney took things into their own hands and founded the Lancaster Fringe Fest as an independent nonprofit by the end of that year. Since then the organization has grown from a sapling into a young tree rooted in the city. They have established partnerships with 18 venues, over 50 independent acts and are operated by a passionate group of volunteers composed of dozens of local creators, educators, administrators and more. Join us in May to see the fruits of our labor.