Now in its 22nd year, the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival resists strict definition. Its artists and performances explore the peculiar and experiment with the irregular; they take familiar mediums, like film or music or theater, and drag them into unfamiliar places. It's strange, striking, beautiful, evocative — and unforgettable.

This year's more than 60 performances take place Sunday, March 17-Sunday, March 24 at venues all around the city.

Here are just a few of the can't-miss events:

Artificial Poetry Cabaret | Thursday, March 21, Saturday, March 23 | Times vary | Citizen Vinyl, 14 O'Henry Ave., Asheville | $16 | Channeling the subversive cabarets of the early 20th century, Poetry Cabaret Collective explores human words from human mouths with an electric AI voice backdrop.

Bad Ties marries words, songs, and visuals. | Photo by Jennifer Bennett

Daughter of a Nymph Divine | Friday, March 22, Sunday, March 24 | Times vary | Noir Collective AVL, 39 S. Market St., Ste. C, Asheville | $16 | Synamin Vixen will journey through a sensory expansion of her book with a meditation of grief, pleasure, and sweet silence.

The Princess Strikes Back | Friday, March 22, Sunday, March 24 | Times vary | Story Parlor, 227 Haywood Rd., Asheville | $16 | Victoria Montalbano was introduced to her perfect man, Han Solo, when she was 13 — and she's been searching for the space cowboy of her dreams ever since.

The strange daughters butoh performance will be intimate, experimental, and improvisational. | Photo by Jennifer Bennett

Nate Puppets dives deep into a world of mental illness. | Photo by Jennifer Bennett

There's lots more listening, watching, and partying to be done, so check out the full schedule. If you plan to fill your calendar, you can grab a 2024 Asheville Fringe Freak Pass for access to up to 12 of the ticketed shows.