Have You Heard About the Fringe Movement?

Watch our Sustain Fringe Update

What the heck is the Fringe, anyway?

Fringe Festivals were born of a rebellious spirit. Artists overlooked by formal institutions needed spaces and stages to tell their stories. 

We’ve never fit into traditional boxes, because we’re a different shape entirely. 

Since the first Fringe Festival took over the streets of Edinburgh in 1947, Fringes worldwide have been a radical act of cultural accessibility:  

This is theatre for everyone, by everyone. 

The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is a home for dreamers, agitators, rebels, and mould-breakers. We challenge the notions of traditional, classical art. Fringe is unconventional, out of the ordinary, and, sometimes, revolutionary. 

And we’re gosh darn proud of it! 

So, how is Edmonton’s Fringe this glorious thing?

Our Fringe was the first in North America, and remains the largest, longest running Fringe Festival on the continent. Annually, we welcome more than 750,000 site visits; drive $20Million in economic impact; engage 1,000 Volunteers; support more than 1,600 Artists; and create more than 250 jobs. Yes, that’s every year. Plus, we deliver $1.3Million in annual ticket sales straight into the pockets of Artists – a practice unique to the Fringe Festival movement. 

But, as with most things that are truly worth it, community investment is key to success.

How can you join the movement?

We’re at a pivotal moment. Now, more than ever, we need to uplift what makes us weird, wonderful, and wildly important. We want to continue celebrating what connects us. We want to continue providing stages for stories of all stripes. 

Last year, we called on our community to Sustain Fringe. Our mighty group of 34 monthly donors has grown to more than 530 strong. Thank you, Fringers! Thank, you Edmonton. Your help allows us to do what we do best.

We won’t be bigger this year. We won’t even be all that different. And that’s very much on purpose. Because we need to sustain what’s already good before we grow. But we will deliver that spark, that special something, that indescribable feeling you’ve come to love over 44 years of fringing.  

Which is why Fringe needs you.  

Every August, 750,000 Fringers flood Old Strathcona.  But just 2% of ticket buyers are monthly donors.  

We want more Fringers to join the movement.  

Every dollar donated, every sponsorship formalized, every ticket purchased, and yes, even every beer drank counts. These aren’t just transactions. They’re declarations. A promise that you believe in making art for everyone. 

Say it again, but make it count. 

We’ve built this movement on duct tape and dreams. If every person who bought a ticket last year donated just $5 a month, every month, Fringe Theatre would become immediately sustainable.  

This is our moment. Be part of the movement. 

 Why should you give a buck?

Because: 

We’re authentic, baby.

No velvet ropes. No dress code. No gatekeepers. Just Fringe Artists making theatre on their own terms. Your support fuels risk-takers, truth-seekers, and storytellers who shape the artistic landscape here in Edmonton, across Canada, and around the world. Which means you get to the claim the true “I saw them first!” bragging rights…and that you were one of the very first to invest in their art.

We’re affordable.

Shows are $20 (yup, that includes fees!). You can see the best in the biz AND your best friend’s kid on stage for the same reasonable ticket price. Plus, we offer tons of FREE festival experiences, like family activities at KidsFringe and concerts as part of our Music Series.

We’re Edmonton AF.

Fringe isn’t just something that happens in Edmonton. Fringe IS Edmonton. Every dollar invested in Fringe is an investment in a more vibrant city. Fringe puts our community on the international stage (Lonely Planet and Wanderlust Magazine agree, btw!). Together, we invest in Artists; drive impact to local businesses; create jobs; and make YEG a more fun place to live, work, and play. And we do it in the most scrappy, inventive way.

We’ve got what you want.

Think of us as the Netflix of live performance: 200+ shows, every genre imaginable, budget-friendly, and a schedule tailored for watching as much as you possibly can. But better, because the electricity of live theatre is unparalleled.