And the weirder and wackier, the better, Dunedin Fringe Festival director Paul Smith said this week.
"Fringe Inventions", exhibited as part of the annual festival, were "all about inspiring the world, getting people to think differently and problem-solving. They're everyday products that are really quite inspirational, but are all about fun."
Mr Smith drew many curious looks when he took a pair of "Sit Anywhere Pants" through their paces.
"Some exchange students from America were walking around town looking for inspiration for an idea and they couldn't find a seat, so they came up with the pants. It's such a simple and silly idea, but it's also really useful."
The Fringe has distributed $22,500 of Creative New Zealand funding to 20 artists to develop new acts for next year's festival, which will be held from March 17 to 27.
"The criteria were based on innovation, experimentation and professionalism. Although we are dealing with edgy art, it has to be high-quality edgy art," Mr Smith said.
It is a sign of the festival's increasing presence that next year, for the first time in its 10-year history, it will include more touring artists than local acts.
"It shows the growing prestige of our festival and the role it plays in supporting touring artists from throughout New Zealand and internationally," Mr Smith said.
"We have attracted many acts from the Auckland, Wellington and Adelaide fringe festivals. The development of a fringe festival circuit in Australasia is now a reality."
