The York Fringe Festival returns
September 3-7, 2025!

The York Fringe will be back again in September 2025 and bigger than ever!
Get ready. Don’t fear the fringe.

The application period for the 2025 York Fringe Festival is closed. Stay tuned here and follow us on social media for schedule announcements.

2025 Call for Performers - Everything You Need to Know!

Our Mission: To provide a platform for innovative live arts in the City of York.

WHAT IS A FRINGE FESTIVAL?

In short: take the Wikipedia entry on theatre, a music festival, and an art gallery, throw them in a blender with some craft beer and frappe until smooth. Drink to experience artistic endeavors like never before!

WHAT are LIVE ARTS?

Burlesque / Cabaret / Circus arts / Comedy / Dance / Drama / Improvisational / Interdisciplinary / Magic / Multimedia / Musical Theater / Poetry / Puppetry / Storytelling / Sideshow / Spoken Word / Variety

WHO’S MAKING THIS HAPPEN?

York Fringe is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit in the state of Pennsylvania. The nonprofit organizes the festival each year with the support of artists, donors, and volunteers.

Our Impact

Arts strengthen the economy. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that the arts and culture sector represents 3.25 percent of the nation’s GDP—a larger share of the economy than tourism and agriculture. The nonprofit arts industry alone generates $135 billion in economic activity annually (spending by organizations and their audiences) that supports 4.1 million jobs and generates $22.3 billion in government revenue.

Arts are good for local merchants. Attendees at nonprofit arts events spend $24.60 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, and babysitters. Attendees who live outside the county in which the arts event takes place spend twice as much as their local counterparts ($39.96 vs. $17.42)—valuable revenue for local businesses and the community.
Arts have social impact. University of Pennsylvania researchers have demonstrated that a high concentration of the arts in a city leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, higher child welfare, and lower poverty rates.