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Edmonton’s beloved Fringe Festival is facing dire financial straits and is calling patrons and businesses alike will help keep the annual festival on the local stage.
In 2023, the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival returned more than $1.2 million in ticket sales directly to artists, and raised $16 million in local economic impact over its 11-day run.
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However, the organization was forced to cancel the festival in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to what organizers say was a massive financial setback that the Fringe has spent the last few years recovering from.
“Cancelling the 2020 Festival was a $3-million loss in revenue for our organization,” said Edmonton Fringe Festival executive director, Megan Dart, in a news release. “While we have celebrated incredible successes in the regrowth of the Fringe Festival post-pandemic thanks to the ongoing support of our community and the businesses around us, the festival is still recovering.”
To aid with this recovery, Dart and other festival organizers are appealing to Albertans to pledge support for the event through donation, sponsorship, or volunteering.
“Expenses are skyrocketing; funding is dwindling; and previously dependable revenues are not keeping pace with the cost of producing our event. Without immediate support, our festival will be very different,” said Dart.
“We believe in the transformative power of the arts and are committed to maintaining our impact. But to achieve that, we need our community now more than ever.”
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