ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The 24th Asheville Fringe Arts Festival will return to the city March 15-22, bringing more than 70 different experimental, offbeat, always-interesting arts events with it.

Tickets for Fringe Fest will go on sale March 1. Find yours at tickets.ashevillefringe.org/events.

What to know about Fringe Fest

Fringe Fest is an arts festival of variety. While some shows require tickets, others are completely free. Likewise, venues range in size and scale, from intimate black box theaters to larger bars and lounges. The festival is interdisciplinary, featuring music, theater, performance art, puppetry and spoken word, to name a few frequent Fringe arts.

This year, in an homage to the origins of Fringe Fest, all ticketed shows and after-parties will be held in downtown Asheville.

“This year feels like a homecoming for our beloved venues and artists, especially as our local community continues rebuilding during an uncertain time for the arts and for diversity in general,” said Artistic Director Erinn Hartly. “It reflects the original spirit of Fringe — creating art outside the mainstream in response to disruption, and enriching cultural life in the process.”

The festival this year reflects Asheville’s continued recovery from Tropical Storm Helene. Around 60% of the artists performing at the 24th Fringe Fest are Western North Carolina locals and several Helene-damaged venues will host shows during the event.

“The festival helps funnel valuable business and publicity to the local economy while providing safe spaces for a diverse group of performers and audiences from all backgrounds,” Fringe Fest wrote in a press release.

Fringe Fest has a dense event schedule, with dozens of different performances to catch for those looking to “fringe binge.” However, audiences won’t want to miss the Kickoff Party on Sunday, March 15 at One World Brewing West, or the Preview Party on Wednesday, March 18 at Sovereign Kava.

“From dark history to weird science, queer clowns to killer banjos, we invite adventurous audiences from across the region to Fringe with us!” said Fringe Fest board member Jen Murphy.

Find the full list of events at tickets.ashevillefringe.org.

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