There never seems to be a dull moment in New Orleans. Come Wednesday the city will become merrier with the opening day of the 2014 New Orleans Fringe Festival. This year, the festival promises to be fresher, weirder and more exciting than ever. With 82 shows spanning five days, this year’s festival is also the largest yet. 

The festival is, at its core, an ode to the performing arts, featuring dramas, musicals, burlesque, circus acts, freak show acts, dance and music. Like the name suggests, the Fringe Festival only includes shows that are strange, imaginative and original. The shows are not related to one another by any means—they each tell their own odd tales of despair, anger and happiness. While the majority of the shows are restricted to people 18 and older because of strong sexual content and adult themes, there are plenty of shows for people ages 14 and up, and even a few for the kiddies.        

This year, the festival will include performers from across Louisiana and the United States, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Uganda. The festival will take place at 40 venues across the city, spanning the Central City, Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods, plus a few venues spread out through the area. Since the shows all run under an hour and the venues are relatively close to each other, audiences are encouraged to buy all-access passes to make the most of their time.