Orlando Fringe Releases Full Lineup for 2026 Winter Mini-Fest, Returning January 7–11

Orlando Fringe has officially unveiled the complete schedule for its 2026 “Winter Mini-Fest,” marking the 10th anniversary of the festival’s fun-sized winter edition. The event runs January 7–11, 2026, inside Orlando Shakes, bringing back a curated collection of local, national, and international performances in true Fringe style.

The winter event serves as a bridge between Orlando Fringe’s major May festival and offers a more intimate, centralized experience. This year’s Winter Mini-Fest features more than 20 shows across four days, including returning favorites, new works from acclaimed Fringe artists, and productions sourced from Fringe festivals around the world.

Organizers also shared key dates for the year ahead, including:

• Colin Mochrie & Friends: A Fab Fringe Fundraiser – April 6, 2026

• The 35th Annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival – May 12–25, 2026

A Compact Festival With Big Variety

Winter Mini-Fest stands apart from the larger May event by offering a curated schedule that spans genres from comedy and drama to dance, storytelling, multimedia works, and experimental art. Many productions run multiple times, giving audiences more flexibility to explore different performances.

Below is a summary of the 2026 programming lineup.

LOCAL SHOWS

Orlando-based productions include science fiction, immersive comedy, improvised late-night TV, historical narratives, and experimental storytelling. Highlights include:

• Portal: A Sci-Fi Fairy Tale (Homicidal Orphans) – Jan. 8 at 7:30pm; Jan. 10 at 2:25pm

• Spin on Truth LP: Live Play Experience (SPINdian) – Jan. 8 at 8:20pm; Jan. 10 at 10:30pm

• ART(er) SPACE (2SleepyRatGuys) – Jan. 9 at 6pm; Jan. 11 at 5:30pm

• It’s Alive! LIVE (Anomalo Labs) – Jan. 9 at 6:40pm; Jan. 10 at 9:35pm

• The Fabulous King James Bible (New Generation Theatrical) – Jan. 9 at 8pm; Jan. 11 at 6:10pm

• The Rooms We Carry (Quantum Leap Productions) – Jan. 9 at 8:10pm; Jan. 11 at 4:15pm

• DK Does Movie!!! (DK Live! Productions) – Jan. 9 at 8:25pm; Jan. 11 at 9:40pm

• Impersonators (Musetta’s Waltz Productions) – Jan. 10 at 1:10pm; Jan. 11 at 5:45pm

NATIONAL SHOWS

Artists from across the U.S. will bring dance collaborations, memoir-driven comedy, thrillers, interactive shows, and award-winning storytelling to Orlando. Notable performances include:

• CLYMOVE X RAMBÜS – Jan. 10 at 3:30pm; Jan. 11 at 6:20pm

• CRACKS (Claire Lochmueller) – Jan. 8 at 6:20pm; Jan. 10 at 4:10pm; Jan. 11 at 9:40pm

• 1 Small Lie (Martin Dockery) – Jan. 8 at 6:50pm; Jan. 10 at 5:50pm

• ANATOMICA (Amica Hunter) – Jan. 8 at 7:50pm; Jan. 10 at 5:40pm; Jan. 11 at 1:15pm

• Full of Grace (Andrea Barello) – Jan. 8 at 9pm; Jan. 10 at 5:25pm; Jan. 11 at 8:30pm

• Vampira: A Hollywood Horror Story (Ingrid Garner) – Jan. 8 at 9:20pm; Jan. 10 at 2:40pm; Jan. 11 at 8:10pm

• Funny Fortunes with Mercado de la Fortuna – Jan. 9 at 6:30pm; Jan. 10 at 6:55pm; Jan. 11 at 1:40pm

• The Goodlucks – Jan. 9 at 9:30pm; Jan. 10 at 3:55pm; Jan. 11 at 4:40pm

• The Best Man Show (Mark Vigeant) – Jan. 9 at 9:40pm; Jan. 10 at 8:05pm; Jan. 11 at 2:45pm

• Jon Bennett: THIS WILL ONLY EVER HAPPEN ONCE – Jan. 10 at 2pm; Jan. 11 at 8:10pm

• Softie (Tim Felton) – Jan. 10 at 8:50pm; Jan. 11 at 2:20pm

INTERNATIONAL SHOWS

Global storytelling and performance art return to the Orlando stage with works from Canada and the United Kingdom:

• Private Parts: The Secrets We Keep – Jan. 8 at 6pm; Jan. 10 at 9:15pm; Jan. 11 at 3:10pm

• The Event – Jan. 8 at 9:50pm; Jan. 9 at 8:50pm; Jan. 10 at 12:25pm

• Shirley Gnome: Live, Bare & Natural – Jan. 9 at 7:20pm; Jan. 11 at 4pm

• No Worries If Not – Jan. 9 at 5:50pm; Jan. 10 at 7:20pm; Jan. 11 at 12:50pm

FRINGE FAVORITES & SPECIAL PROGRAMMING

Winter Mini-Fest also features a selection of festival traditions and community events:

• Winter Mini-Fest Teaser Show – Jan. 7 at 7:30pm

• THE JONBENET CABARET: Flashlight Cabaret – Jan. 9 & 10 at 11:30pm

• Kids Fringe Mini-Morning Fest – Jan. 10 from 10am–12pm

• Visual Fringe Art Market – Open throughout the festival

• Winter Mini-Fest Awards – Jan. 11 at 11pm

All performances are 70 minutes or less and tickets are $15, with a required $3 button for festival entry.

Festival Leadership Shares a Milestone Message

“Welcome to the 10^th Orlando Fringe Winter Mini-Fest!” Tempestt Halstead, Artistic Director of Orlando Fringe said in a press release.  “Curating this milestone year meant honoring a decade of bold, intimate, risk-taking work while lifting up the new voices shaping our future.  This lineup brings together emerging creators and brand-new work from returning favorites.  Each piece will leave you wanting more.  A heartfelt thank you to our staff and volunteers for their dedication, and to our audiences for joining us and for supporting the kind of fearless, independent art that keeps Fringe thriving and our community creating.  I invite everyone to lean in, explore and try something new.  Curiosity is the heart of this festival.”

Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan is the Content & Creative Development Manager for Central Florida Lifestyle Magazine where she gets to collaborate on bringing new life into local happenings and tell the stories of the people who make Central Florida what it is. She has a bachelor's degree in Print and Digital Journalism from the University of Central Florida and has had her worked featured in Strike Magazine, The Charge, The Orlando Life, and Central Florida Lifestyle Magazine. As a born and bred Orlando native, Melissa enjoys putting her own spin on the daily life of The City Beautiful. When she is not at her laptop writing her next piece, you can find Melissa traveling the world, watching rom coms on repeat, or indulging in a delicious bowl of pasta.

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