Elgin Fringe Festival opens artist applications on Feb. 1

The Elgin Fringe Festival is seeking bold and creative performing and visual artists to showcase their work at this year's festival.

The annual event is an uncurated festival where artists are chosen through live lotteries in April. Dance, theater, comedy, music, and undefined art forms delight audiences in intimate settings across downtown Elgin.

The artist categories include:

• Equity-seeking artists: Self-identifying underrepresented artists (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and more).

• First time Fringers: New to fringe producer/performers.

• Spanish language shows: Presented predominately in Spanish.

• Local artists: Reside within 50 miles of Elgin.

• Touring artists: Based over 50 miles from Elgin.

Applications are open Feb. 1 to March 1. Artists will be chosen via a lottery system at a special event in April. Notifications of acceptance and wait-list status will be sent within a few weeks after the lottery event.

For information on applying, visit elginfringefestival.com/artists.

The 2026 Elgin Fringe Festival will begin with the opening of the visual art exhibits on Sept. 4, followed by special pop-up events from Sept. 5-22. Performance weekend with over 80 shows will be Sept. 23-27.