6 facts about FRINGE WORLD that’ll make you go, hmmmm
FRINGE WORLD is loads of fun, but behind the glitz and glam is a complex business that we don’t normally talk about.
Read on if you’re interested to know more about the business behind the Fringe.
1. We’re the third largest Fringe in the world
Yep, that’s right. Western Australia’s FRINGE WORLD Festival is the THIRD largest fringe festival in the WORLD!
The first FRINGE WORLD Festival was held in 2011 and we rapidly grew to become the third largest by 2014.
At 2020 FRINGE WORLD Festival we achieved 414,081 tickets issued and there were 722 events performed by 3,279 artists.
By comparison, Adelaide Fringe (est. 1960) the second largest Fringe in 2020 had 853,419 tickets issued and there were 1,203 events performed by 6,724.
Edinburgh Fringe (est. 1947) is the largest annual arts festival in the world and in 2019 had just over 3 million tickets issued and there were 3,841 shows performed by more than 30,000 artists.
There are hundreds of Fringe festivals presented all over the globe. They all share the same spirit of open-access opportunities for artists, and whilst we collaborate in a number of ways we are all separate organisations.
The future of FRINGE WORLD is bright and we look forward to introducing more audiences to our shows in the years to come.
2. Fringe is not for everyone
Jokes! FRINGE WORLD is absolutely for everyone!
Annually we have more than 500 shows to choose from, so there’s something to suit every possible taste.
There may be shows that are not to your liking, but giving something new/different a go is the spice of life/Fringe.
If you see something that’s not your cup of tea, share your review on Fringefeed customer reacts. And if you see something you love, also share your review on Fringefeed so that more people can enjoy what you enjoyed.
3. We’re open-access
FRINGE WORLD is an open-access festival. This means that rather than having a curator choose what you get to see, the program is chosen by the artists because it’s the artist who decides to participate.
The Festival is also open-access in relation to venue participation, and venues all over Perth and Western Australia can choose to present a show or open their doors to an artist looking for a space. This allows you to enjoy shows in weird and wonderful ways, such as in a stunning Spiegeltent, a shipping container, a bar, a heritage building, a parkland, a ship, a hotel and any type of space you can imagine.
The open-access platform allows for an incredible array of shows in the Festival, from cabaret, to comedy, circus, theatre and everything in between. The average ticket price is great value and the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming to all folk who want to be entertained.
The FRINGE WORLD platform also allows for both emerging artists and more seasoned performers to showcase their work alongside each other.
The open-access model means that FRINGE WORLD doesn’t employ artists, and rather the Festival stimulates a platform for artists to earn box office income. This open-market platform is where artists are putting it all on the line to perform for you, so don’t disappoint them and make sure you see as many shows as possible!
4. FRINGE WORLD doesn’t make a lot of money
FRINGE WORLD is a massively popular event, but just because we sell a lot of tickets doesn’t mean we make a lot of money.
The reality is that producing a festival costs A LOT. From employing more than 300 people to present the major Festival hubs (e.g. box office, front of house, program coordinators, marketers, tradies, builders and technical specialists etc) to paying costs to produce outdoor venues and spaces with all of the logistics involved (e.g. bars, toilets, security etc) through to the costs to deliver complex infrastructure to support artists and sell tickets, such as creating a FRINGE WORLD app; it all adds up to a lot of money.
Around 85% is paid to artists and arts companies as their box office return and as a non-for-profit registered charity any profit that the organisation (ARTRAGE) makes goes back into delivering on the organisation’s goals. This might be keeping some profit in reserves for a rainy day (or a COVID day) or investing in initiatives that will deliver greater value for our artists and the community of WA.
If you’re a numbers nerd, check out our Impact Report, we’ve got the breakdown of where our income and expenditure goes plus heaps more info.
Like many arts organisations around Australia, funding and in-kind support from our sponsors in the government and commercial world is key to the delivery of our activity.
It’s worth pointing out that state government funding of FRINGE WORLD was only around 7.6% of the organisation’s 19/20 operating income. The Festival draws on a relatively low level of state government funding compared with other arts organisations in the state.
Don’t get us wrong, our state government support is incredibly important to us and simply put, without the support from Lotterywest, DLGSC and others, FRINGE WORLD as you know and love it would not happen. Like many arts organisations, ARTRAGE is always keen to secure more funding, to help deliver more to its artists and the people of WA, and we have the ideas and the record to achieve this value.
5. Fringe is big business
Although FRINGE WORLD doesn’t make a big profit, the Festival delivers big value to the state through employment and expenditure at hospitality offerings and hotels.
At the 2020 Festival FRINGE WORLD had direct and indirect expenditure form intrastate, interstate and overseas visitors valued at more than $18 million and there were an estimated 34,228 visitor bed nights. This means that for every $1 invested by the state government into FRINGE WORLD, there was $68 stimulated and spend in the local economy.
The economic stimulus is the equivalent of 2,214 FT jobs created and ARTRAGE directly employed 300+ people to present the Festival.
Our Impact Report will show you how these numbers are calculated.
6. FRINGE WORLD is presented by one of the oldest arts organisations in the state
FRINGE WORLD Festival is presented by ARTRAGE Inc, a non-for-profit registered charity that is one of the oldest arts organisations in WA (est. 1983).
Alongside FRINGE WORLD Festival, ARTRAGE also currently produces two cinemas Rooftop Movies (est. 2012) and Girls School Cinema (est. 2018).
ARTRAGE produces the Festival overall in addition to some of the major hubs in the Festival i.e. The Woodside Pleasure Garden, Girls School and previously FRINGE Central, Ice Cream Factory and Yagan Square. The remainder of venues in the Festival are produced by other companies and small businesses such as theatres, bars and local governments.
The ARTRAGE Strategic Plan and its organisational Purpose, Vision, Mission and The Way We Work statement informs how the Festival is delivered and everything we do:
ARTRAGE Purpose: To enrich and evolve the culture of Western Australia by creating open artistic opportunities for audiences and artists.
ARTRAGE Vision: To embed arts in the hearts and minds of all Western Australians.
ARTRAGE Mission: To provide enduring benefits for artists, audiences and a diverse family of stakeholders through presenting cultural events with global appeal.
The Way We Work:
We mainstream Fringe culture.
We surprise and delight.
Our success is defined by the success of our artists.
We make Perth better.
Got a question for us? Ask away hello@fringeworld.com.au
Photo of Idris Stanton What Glam Circus Man. Photo by Sean Breadsell