Please join PortFringe “Under the Sea” for the 11th Annual PortFringe POP-UP event, which features performance art derived from Hans Christian Andersen’s short story The Little Mermaid.

This unique event will have two performances, both at RISING TIDE BREWERY (103 Fox Street, Portland): High Tide at 1:30pm and Low Tide at 7:30pm. The High Tide matinee will feature ASL interpretation. All shows are for mature audiences and are intended for adults.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door for these combined performances by some of your favorite local artists (see sidebar), photo opps, and other sea-dwelling amusements, all inspired by Andersen’s tragic tale. A cash bar featuring Rising Tide Brewing Company beers, as well as non-alcoholic options and snacks, will be available.

The event will also feature a live “Bad Art” Auction—with all proceeds supporting the upcoming 14th PortFringe Festival in June 2026. Mermaid- and beneath the sea-inspired attire (whatever that means to you!) is encouraged!

If you have any barriers to attending POP-UP LITTLE MERMAID, please reach out to us at portfringe@gmail.com.

What is PortFringe POP-UP? Our annual fundraising event is an exhilarating, one-of-a-kind, community experience in which local performance artists, chosen by random lottery, are each assigned one chapter of a classic work and tasked with presenting it in just 5 minutes. Planned and rehearsed with no coordination with the other artists, this year’s scenes will be performed in pairs, for the first (and only!) time on March 21, 2026.