The New Zealand Fringe Festival, based in Wellington and held every year in late February/early March, is a community based open-access festival providing the most concentrated mix of new talent across all arts forms in Wellington.

“This year the Fringe festival will have many more shows and events than last – testament to the vibrancy of Wellington. The programme is completely new and completely surprising, and I strongly encourage you to take a punt and go along,”says Mayor of Wellington, Celia Wade-Brown.

Fringe Festival is completely open to anyone wishing to stage an original piece of art in any artform – there are no limits or constraints and Fringe encourages participants to take a creative and artistic risk.

Featuring 100 shows put on by 1,000 performers and assistants, Fringe has grown from 58 to 100 shows in the past year. The heart of the Fringe Festival, BATS Theatre, will be located in its temporary new home within Civic Square. 

Highlights of the 2013 Fringe include “BYOB Wellington,” an invitation to come and contribute to a collective visual collage in a secret urban venue; “Corner Diary,” a performance featuring 15 Wellington actors and comedians sharing excerpts from their real life diaries and letters; “When Bertha Sings,” a chocolate factory featuring the sounds of chocolate being made; and 15-02-13.com, an online video diary of Josh’s Wellington holiday.

Click the slideshow to see the top 10 must-see 2013 New Zealand Fringe Festival events