The Best Eleven Days of Summer   

The first thing ATB Financial Golden Ticket winner Jen Anderson-Wong (she/her) did when she found out she won was text her best friend, Martina. They’ve fringed together almost every year since 2003.

“Martina,” Jen texted, “Fringe has just added me as a friend on Instagram. Either they think I’m an Actor OR we’ve won the Golden Ticket!”

Martina quickly texted back: “Jen. They don’t think you’re an Actor!”

Each year, the ATB Golden Ticket provides one winner a VIP experience at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, including $250 spending money, 100 tickets to indoor shows, VIP parking, dinner at Chianti Café & Restaurant, and SO MUCH MORE!

“The best part is the time we spend together for those eleven days. Because you get so busy, you have work, families, and all of that. We block Fringe off. We tell work and our families: ‘Martina and I are fringing. Leave us alone. We’re busy!’” Jen laughs. 

“I always get the Festival Guide and circle and make little notes in it for Martina. Then she works through it and marks the distance between venues,” says Jen of their fringing strategy. “One year we were running between venues and we’re not doing that again!”  

“It’s great to have an Alberta-based company supporting Albertans, our Artists, and our major Arts events,” Jen says. “Thank you, ATB, for letting us continue this tradition of fringing and community.”