Fodor's Expert Review Capital Fringe Festival

Since its founding in 2005, the Capital Fringe Festival has grown each year, and it currently offers no fewer than 125 productions over a three-week period in July. Local and national performers display the strange, the political, the surreal, and the avant-garde to eclectic crowds at all times of the day in venues throughout the city. With tickets around $17, this is an affordable theater experience. Don't forget your Fringe Button, a pin that grants the holder access to all festival events and benefits from local retailers. Be ready to party at the Fringe Arts Bar, just north of H Street, where performers, musicians, and patrons rock into the wee hours.