ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival
August 12 – 16, 2026

ON THE EDGE Fringe is back for another amazing, exciting, and off-the-wall week of Fringe fun in the heart of downtown North Bay! This is our 13th Fringe Festival, and we have so many great shows and events lined-up we don’t even know where to begin! We’ve tried to put all of the information about this year’s festival on this page in a somewhat logical order, but if you have questions about anything, feel free to contact us. You can also find up-to-date information on our Facebook and Instagram pages as well.

Land Acknowledgement

The land on which the ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival gathers is the traditional territory of the Nipissing First Nation Anishinaabe. This territory is covered by the Robinson-Huron and Upper Canada Treaties. We acknowledge them and any other Nations who care for the land (acknowledged and unacknowledged, recorded and unrecorded) as the past, present and future caretakers of our home region. The ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival is honoured to welcome artists on these storied and sacred lands that have been stewarded by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, long before the arrival of colonial settlers.

2026 Festival Schedule

2026 Fringe Shows

Click the links below to find out more information about each of the shows in this year’s festival.

A Hoarders Candle

Company:Tristen Watts
Runtime: 55 Minutes
Venue: The Betty Speers Theatre
Genre: Comedy, Dance/Physical Theatre, Theatre
Audience Level: Parental Guidance Suggested

Bitter Pill

Company: First Action Theatre & Eli Emslie
Runtime: 20-25 minutes
Venue: The Basement Space
Genre: Performance Art, Spoken Word/Storytelling, Theatre
Audience Level: Mature Audiences

Embarrassed Naked Female (this show contains nudity)

Company: Elsa Couvreur (Woman’s Move)
Runtime: 60 Minutes
Venue: The Betty Speers Theatre
Genre: Spoken Word/Storytelling, Theatre
Audience Level: Mature Audiences

Got It All Figured Out…sort of.

Company: SouthPaw Scripts
Runtime: 60 Minutes
Venue: The Basement Space
Genre: Theatre
Audience Level: Mature Audiences

Love Fuel

Company: Sweaty Isekai
Runtime: 35 Minutes
Venue: The Co-Operators Spotlight Lounge
Genre: Comedy, Magic, Music, Spoken Word/Storytelling, Theatre
Audience Level: Parental Guidance Suggested

Mammoth Mommy Issues

Company: Three Odd Frogs
Runtime: 40-50 Minutes
Venue: The Basement Space
Genre: Comedy, Performance Art, Theatre
Audience Level: Parental Guidance Suggested

No Fixed Address

Company: Don Baxter
Runtime: 60 Minutes
Venue: The Co-Operators Spotlight Lounge
Genre: Music, Spoken Word/Storytelling
Audience Level: Parental Guidance Suggested

Pocket Change

Company: Verba in collaboration with Paint The Stage
Runtime: 40-45 Minutes
Venue: The Betty Speers Theatre
Genre: Comedy, Dance/Physical Theatre, Theatre
Audience Level: Mature Audiences

The Last Testimony of Anton Gernsback (deceased) presented by Mr. Robert Sovic

Company: Dreamer of the Deep
Runtime: 50 Minutes
Venue: The Co-Operators Spotlight Lounge
Genre: Performance Art, Spoken Word/Storytelling, Theatre
Audience Level: Parental Guidance Suggested

Tickets & Passes

Fringe show tickets are $14 per show and Festival Passes (which give you access to all shows) are $110. This year, some of our presentations are also Pay-What-You-Can in ticket increments of $2, $5, and $10. All tickets & passes are being sold exclusively through the Capitol Centre, and may be purchased in-person, over the phone, or through their website (www.capitolcentre.org). To keep transaction fees low, the festival is encouraging folks to pay with cash or debit if possible, although credit cards are also accepted. Patrons are also encouraged to purchase their passes or tickets in advance to avoid long line-ups. Seating is still first come, first served for all shows and events, so plan accordingly!

2026 Duality Program

To complement our amazing line-up of Fringe shows, we’ve programmed a series of Duality offerings that will keep you busy and entertained during Fringe Week. To start things off, we will be heading over to Big Medicine Studio on August 11th for First Draft, a presentation of works-in-progress by Aanmitaagzi Story Makers and the youth participants of their 2026 Summer Arts Program. Next up, Theatre Making North Bay is inviting everyone to participate in their reading of The Book Club Play in the Betty Speers Theatre on August 12th. On August 13th, we’ll be over in the Map Room at Cecil’s Brewhouse & Kitchen for a staged reading of Ian McCormack’s new play Auger, and then on August 15th, we’ll pop over to the alleyway beside Michelle’s FrameMaker & Gallery to see a short dance performance by award-winning artist Cesar Forero. To finish things off, The Highwaymen will be back with their unique brand of live D&D improv adventures on Saturday night at the Shadfly House.

And don’t forget to drop by the Fringe Warehouse space to check out Corbin Elliott’s mural installation, too.

For full details about this year’s Duality program, please click the button below.

2026 Fringey X-Tras

You want more? Well, we’ve got more for you! A few Fringey X-Tras to keep the party going. This year we have a arts & grant information session facilitated by Holly Cunningham from Creative Industries, and a Musical Theatre workshop with Michelle Jackett. We are also setting up a Speaker’s Corner at Good Atlas so folks can leave a message, comment about a show they’ve seen, give life hack tips, or whatever comes to mind in the moment. Click the button below to find out more about this year’s X-Tras.

2026 Fringe Awards Ceremony

August 16th @ 5:00 pm

The annual Fringe awards ceremony is one of the high points of the Fringe festival. Each year we bring in three industry professionals to determine which artists or companies will receive awards. We also have an audience choice award that is given to the show with the most votes. A full list of our Fringe awards can be found by clicking the button below.

FRINGE FRIES ARE BACK!

ON THE EDGE Fringe is super excited to be partnering with a handful of downtown restaurants for our second annual Fringe Fries competition. During the festival, participating restaurants will create their own version of “Fringe Fries” as a special menu item and patrons will be able to vote for their favourite one. The restaurant that receives the most votes for their creation will be declared the winner during the annual Fringe awards ceremony at the end of the festival. The participating restaurants for 2026 are Cecil’s Brewhouse & Kitchen, Northern Himalayan Café, Lou Dawg’s Southern BBQ, The Moose’s Cookhouse, and The Block Public House.

Make sure to give the Fringe Fries a try and vote for your favourite one before the festival ends on August 15th!

Important Locations

Here is a list of this year’s festival locations:

Good Atlas (Speaker’s Corner location) – 348 Fraser St
Alleyway beside Michelle’s FrameMaker & Gallery (performance space) – 168 Main St W
Lou Dawg’s Southern BBQ (Fringe Fry location) – 167 Main St W
The Block Public House (Fringe Fry location) – 122 Main St W
Northern Himalayan Café (presentation venue & Fringe Fry location) – 113 Main St E
The Moose’s Cookhouse (Fringe Fry location) – 134 Main St E
The Capitol Centre (Main festival venue) – 150 Main St E
Shadfly House (performance venue) – 151 Main St E
Cecil’s Brewhouse & Kitchen (presentation venue & Fringe Fry location) – 300 Wyld St
The Fringe Warehouse Space – 150 McIntyre St E
Big Medicine Studio (performance space) – 161 Couchie Memorial Dr

2026 Festival Funders

ON THE EDGE Fringe wishes to acknowledge the Government of Canada, through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Summer Jobs program, and the Ontario Arts Council for their generous support of this year’s festival.

2026 Festival Sponsors & Community Partners

ON THE EDGE Fringe thanks all of the amazing artists, staff, volunteers, patrons, funders, sponsors, supporters, the Fringe community, and the community of North Bay for helping us to make this festival happen. Stay Fringey, everyone!

Looking for ways to help or support the Fringe?

There are many ways to get involved with the ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival. Check out our Support page to find out how you can help make Fringe the Fringey-est it can be!

ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival August 12 – 16, 2026