Elgin’s anything-goes performance festival returns for its 12th year this week at several venues in downtown Elgin.

Taking a page from the original Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, Elgin’s version features a wide array of visual art, dance, theater, comedy, music, magic, burlesque and storytelling and fusions of all them, artistic director Nick Mataragas said.

“It’s a great combination of shows this year,” he said of the acts that will take the stage Thursday through Sunday.

All of the performers were chosen in a lottery held in April. That’s the process they’re required to follow as a member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals, which mandates that a fringe festival not be curated and all acts picked via random drawing or on a first-come, first-served basis.

“The beauty of doing a lottery is there’s no gatekeeping. There’s no bias to what gets selected. We leave it completely up to fate,” Mataragas said.

Performances are held at downtown venues within walking distance of each other. Side Street Studio Arts Gallery will host the visual art exhibition and performances in its two upstairs areas, and the other stages are at Elgin Public House, Habitat for Humanity (new to the event this year), Martini Room, DuPage Court and the Elgin Art Showcase.

“We’ve got a great lineup. We’ve got a mix of festival favorites as well as an amazing group of new performers,” Mataragas said. “Habitat for Humanity is giving us their lobby for the weekend to have performances there — that’s going to be the home of most of our improv shows.”

Of the nearly three dozen acts, there’s a huge comedy element this year, he said.

Appalachian songcatcher Hannah Sage will be doing two performances as part of this year’s Elgin Fringe Fest. More than two dozen shows will be presented in downtown Elgin between Thursday and Sunday as part of the event. (Elgin Fringe Fest)

“There’s a bunch of improv groups as well as a standup show, which is in Spanish, which is really cool,” he said. “There are really amazing dance performances, and the music is going to be fantastic. I don’t think you can go wrong if you come to see a couple shows. You’re going to find something that makes you feel entertained.”

Performances range from 20 to 60 minutes, with admission to some being free and the highest ticket costing $12. All attendees must purchase a $4 entry buttons, and a festival pass with access to all events costs $95.

Tickets and Fringe merchandise can be purchased online at Elginfringefestival.com or in person at Side Street Studio, 15 Ziegler Court, which is where all show tickets must be picked up.

Money collected from button sales helps fund future Fringe Fests while proceeds from ticket sales go to the artists, Mataragas said.

“We don’t take anything off the ticket price for ourselves so that $4 (button cost is the only thing that) goes back to the festival to keep it going,” he said.

Two popular events are the Almost-Closing Party at 10:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at Elgin Public House and the Closing Party at 5 p.m. Sept. 28 at Martini Room. Both are open to the public with purchase of a Fringe Fest button.

“The parties themselves are fantastic,” Mataragas said. “The Almost Closing Party is a very casual gathering of artists and technicians and volunteers (wanting) to decompress after what is a very long day on Saturday and just hang out and chill and have a good time. The closing party at Martini Room is a celebration of the closing of the festival. We hand out the Fringe Awards and we toast to the festival.”

Anyone who wants to attend an Elgin Fringe Fest show much purchase a $4 button, money from which goes to fund future Fringe Fests. Money from ticket sales goes directly to the artists, fest organizers say. (Elgin Fringe Fest)

Fringe Awards are voted on by the audience. Categories include Audience Favorite Performance, Audience Favorite Visual Art, Producer’s Award, Chris and Kathleen Mau Spirit of the Fringe Award and the Percolator Award for outstanding innovation.

Mataragas said he is pleased the festival is still growing and attracting new patrons and artists, some of whom are coming from eight states outside of Illinois.

“Growth in our mind is not the physical number going up of shows or ticket sales, but it’s about that growth or maturing as an organization and as a festival.” he said.

“We don’t tell people what to put in their shows, what to do with their shows. They are free to perform whatever they want. … Sometimes those (acts that push the boundaries) are the best moments, those moments of just weird, this-should-be-bad-but-it’s amazing.”

Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Courier News.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/22/elgin-fringe-fest-art-music-comedy-shows/