Join us for our 7th annual Winter Mini Fringe, a cozy and creative Saturday with the Elgin Fringe Festival! Celebrate the spirit of the fringe with an intimate showcase of diverse performances by local and visiting artists. Whether you're a longtime Fringe fan or new to the experience, all are welcome to enjoy this evening of artistry, community, and delicious food!
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The event is in the Backspace at Side Street Studio Arts. This space is up a steep flight of stairs, with no elevator access.
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WINTER MINI FRINGE SCHEDULE
1:00PM – 3:00PM
Mini-Fringe Visual Art Show
FEATURING ADAM GREWENIG & ELGIN FRINGE POSTER ARTISTS
Winter Mini-Fringe kicks off with a visual art show featuring Adam Grewenig, our 2026 Elgin Fringe Poster Artist, and work by previous Elgin Fringe Poster Artists. Come early and enjoy this special exhibition in the Side Street Studio Gallery.
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ARTISTS FEATURED:
Anna Lentz, Andrew Vo, Kathryn Eli, Jess Rocha, Kerri Liu,
Christopher Hodge, and Adam Grewenig.
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3:00PM – 9:00PM
Free MINI-FRINGE Potluck!
ENJOY FOOD BEFORE, DURING, BETWEEN & AFTER THE SHOWS!
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Bring a dish to share and enjoy a communal meal with fellow art lovers and performers. Share food and conversation before, during, between, and after the performances! Guests are welcome to bring food into each performance.
3:00PM
Ozark Phantasmagoria
URSA MILES
The Ozarks in the 1930s is a strange and mystical place. As new dams are built and towns plunged underwater, cryptids that once hid in the woods and the rivers are forced into contact with humans. When Sarah Jane's brother is taken, it is the hills that will be her revenge.
RATING TBA.
5:30PM
The Aisle Play
SWORD AND INK THEATER
What would you do at the end of the world? This dark comedy follows a group of survivors as they raid a grocery store and try to hold onto the fonder moments of their past, as the future looks more and more bleak.
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RATED PG-13. Includes: abrupt loud noises, death, drugs/alcohol, guns, and adult language.
7:00PM
Bad Stories for Bad Children
CARDBOARD THEATRE
Are you a bad child? Experience a series of original short stories written by Mike Eserkaln, with shadow puppets by Maggie Dernehl. Four darkly comedic tales of what happens when bad children face the consequences of their bad behavior. A Cardboard Theatre production. Premiered at the Green Bay Fringe Festival 2025.
RATED PG. Includes: audience interaction, mild violence, and implied death.
8:30PM
Closed Captions
>> Spanglish Standup Comedy Show
Jose Alfredo, Adrian Ayala, Carlos Alvidrez, & Uzi Acosta
A high-energy comedy showcase featuring four Chicagoland comedians where English leads, Spanish sneaks in, and everyone gets the joke. Even if you don’t speak Spanish, the punchlines land—because funny is a universal language.
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RATED R. Includes: Adult language, sexual content, mature themes, and mentions of guns, drugs, and alcohol.
Winter Mini Fringe is produced by Side Street Studio Arts with support from the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission.
