Overview
To be a part of Melbourne Fringe Festival, you must have a venue to showcase your fabulous work - this could be an established venue, an independent venue, or a digital venue.
However, securing the perfect venue can be challenging.
Where are you going to hold your event? Is it at an established venue? A pop-up space? Your own lounge room?
It’s also important to think about how big you want your venue to be—there’s no point in hiring a 150-seat theatre if you think you'll only get 20 audience members each night.
Beyond size and location, consider whether the venue suits your accessibility requirements. Are you planning to offer access services such as Auslan interpretation, captioning, or audio description (AD), and does the venue have the necessary equipment or capacity to support them? If you’re providing a relaxed or breakout space, does the venue have the flexibility to accommodate that?
Once you’ve found a venue, how do you know if it’s the right one for your show? If you think it is, how do you contact them, and what should you say to ensure you're booking the best place?
Well, let’s start with the basics—what type of venue could host your Fringe event?
Types of Venues
- Independent Venues
There are lots of venues around Melbourne which are perfect for Fringe events. You can apply to be part of one of the many programs hosted at venues right across Melbourne. Your relationship is with the venue, from that initial meeting to booking and signing an agreement, right through to arranging bump out. Some run an expression of interest (EOI) process and have a dedicated Fringe program, others are just happy to be a straight-out hire. These venues are where the majority of the Festival happens around town.
- Festival Hub
Each year Melbourne Fringe programs and manages a variety of spaces collectively known as the Festival Hub. Housing different rooms of varying sizes, the Hub is home to many acts. In 2025 we are excited to have Trades Hall as our Festival Hub. To apply to have your event in the Festival Hub you will need to complete a separate Expression of Interest (EOI) form.
You can find more info on the Festival Hub here.
- DIY Event, BYO venue
Go your own way, do your own thing, present wherever you like. Your lounge room, a bookshop, the kebab shop, your car. Details need to be confirmed by the registration closing date.
- Digital Fringe
Create a show to be broadcast on our very own virtual venue – Digital Fringe! The Digital Fringe platform allows artists to host and ticket their work online. It can host all kinds of work, from streamed/broadcast performances to one-on-one interactive art via Zoom. Digital Fringe also provides an opportunity to reach audiences who may not be able to attend in-person shows, including those with access needs, people in regional or remote areas, and anyone who prefers to experience events from home.
Going digital? For more info on how this information applies to you, head to our Guide to Digital and Remote Art.
List of Independent Venues
There are two main ways you can search for Independent Venues
1 - 2024 Independent Venues EOIs
This page list a range of venues that are actively looking for events during Melbourne Fringe.
Use this directory to look through venues, and find out how to apply to present your event there.
2 - Eventotron Venue Finder