ESL FEDERAL CREDIT UNION ANNOUNCED AS NEW TITLE SPONSOR FOR 2025 ESL ROCHESTER FRINGE FESTIVAL

ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Rochester Fringe Festival Board of Directors and ESL Federal Credit Union today announced that the Rochester-based financial institution will be the new title sponsor of the 2025 ESL Rochester Fringe Festival.

With nearly a million attendants and 6,700 performances over the past 13 seasons, the Rochester Fringe Festival is one of the largest and most successful fringe festivals in the nation. It is also the largest multidisciplinary performing arts festival in New York State, and one of the region’s most anticipated festivals each year, featuring theater, music, comedy, dance and more.

“The entire board is thrilled to partner with ESL to support one of the premier fringe events in the country,” said Board Chair Mark A. Costello. “So much time, energy and resources are needed to make Rochester Fringe a success and ensure a wide variety of programming for the whole community to enjoy. By supporting Fringe, ESL is making our city an even better place to live and experience.”

The ESL title sponsorship underscores its commitment to Rochester’s vibrancy and prosperity through investment in arts and culture.

“We are proud to be the title sponsor of the ESL Rochester Fringe Festival,” said Faheem Masood, President & CEO, ESL Federal Credit Union. “During Fringe, the city comes together to celebrate the arts in their many forms. We are an arts community and that is shown through the immense talent and creativity that’s alive and well throughout Greater Rochester. Our support of Fringe is for more than the festival, but also for the people and venues that bring Fringe to life and help us enrich the culture of Greater Rochester. This festival has become a premier event each year, helping to make our city the vibrant, bustling hub for the arts we know it to be.”

ESL Federal Credit Union serves as a full-service financial institution to more than 436,000 members and 16,800 businesses in the Greater Rochester area. The company provides personal banking, business banking, mortgage services, and wealth management services; employs approximately 950 people; and holds more than $9.5 billion in assets.

The essential spirit that motivates ESL to do its best for its members is part of its DNA. Local businessman—and one of the greatest philanthropists of the 20^th century—George Eastman founded Eastman Savings and Loan, now ESL, in 1920. A gifted entrepreneur and inventor, Eastman built Eastman Kodak Company into one of the world’s leading corporations. But he also had a heartfelt interest in his employees and the surrounding community. During his lifetime, he made generous contributions to healthcare, education and music.

“The commitment from ESL to the community—and to non-profits like us—is truly unparalleled,” said Erica Fee, founding Festival Producer. “Just as George Eastman modeled, every day the team at ESL helps people live their best quality lives and invests in programs that help the city to prosper in meaningful ways.”

The 2025 ESL Rochester Fringe Festival run dates are September 9 – 20. The entire festival lineup will be announced on July 16, when all tickets will be placed on sale. For more information, visit www.rochesterfringe.com. 

About ESL Rochester Fringe Festival
The 12-day ESL Rochester Fringe Festival, one of the nation’s largest fringe festivals, has also been recognized by the New York Times as “one of the country’s more prominent multidisciplinary events” and is the current winner of CITY Magazine’s Best of Rochester Award for Best Arts Event. Nearly a million people have attended more than 5,000 performances and events at the Fringe since its inception in 2012. The non-profit organization’s mission is to offer platforms for artists, new audiences for venues, and unparalleled public access to incredible art. It strives to be diverse and inclusive, and to stimulate downtown Rochester both culturally and economically. It showcases the work of regional, national, and international artists from emerging to superstar.

About ESL
With more than 100 years of locally owned history, ESL Federal Credit Union serves as a full-service financial institution to more than 436,000 members and 16,800 businesses. Founded in 1920, the company provides personal banking, business banking, mortgage services, and wealth management services through its locally based 24-branch network; telephone, mobile and online banking; and live chat center. The Rochester-based financial institution employs approximately 950 people in the Greater Rochester area and holds more than $9.5 billion in assets. Since 1996, ESL has paid out 30 consecutive Owners’ Dividends to its members totaling more than $320 million. Since the creation of its Community Impact initiative in 2018, ESL has reinvested more than $145 million in grants throughout the community. The company has appeared on Great Place to Work® lists since 2010. ESL Federal Credit Union is headquartered at 225 Chestnut Street, in Rochester, and can be found online at www.esl.org.

About Fringe Festivals 
In 1947, eight theatre groups showed up—uninvited—to perform at the newly established Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland. Although not listed in the official program, the groups performed anyway, at venues they found for themselves. The following year, a Scottish journalist coined the term “festival fringe” to describe these non-curated shows that began turning up annually. The Edinburgh Fringe is now the world’s largest arts festival and the third largest event after the Olympics and the World Cup. Today, there are more than 250 Fringe Festivals worldwide, with nearly 50 in the United States. The Rochester Fringe Festival was the first in Upstate New York. 

Online Press Kit
More information can be found online: Press – Rochester Fringe Festival.

Images
High-resolution photos from past years of Rochester Fringe Festival may be requested by
emailing [email protected].

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SOURCE Rochester Fringe Festival, Inc.