Philly's Fringe festival gets new waterfront home  Staff reports
Modified: February 25, 2013 at 2:39 pm •  Published: February
25, 2013  Former Gov. Ed Rendell, who was mayor of Philadelphia
when the Fringe began in 1997, said it helped revive the city's
downtown and make it a more attractive place for young people to
live and play.  "I remember people came to me and said, 'They're
starting this thing called Fringe Festival,' and I said, 'Oh my
gosh, are there going to be arrests?'" Rendell said with a
laugh. "And they said, 'No, no, it's going to be all right."
The state has provided $1 million in seed money for the project
and the remainder is coming from grants and donations, with all
but $600,000 of the $7 million total already raised. The Fringe
bought the building last summer for $750,000.  Organizers also
unveiled the festival's name change to FringeArts, which
previously was known as the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and
Philly Fringe.  "We needed a name that fit on the marquee,"
Stuccio said.    |