You Are Me, Lygon Court - Melbourne Fringe 2023. Photo by Nick Robertson
Melbourne Fringe is a celebration of cultural democracy and art for everyone. By embracing diversity and a spirit of independence, we create a unique space for artistic self-expression linked to the life of our great city. That’s why Melbourne Fringe is the most adventurous, inclusive, all-encompassing multi-artform festival in Australia.
Every year we feature thousands of artists performing 400+ events in over 160 venues. Fringe venues are all over Melbourne, from CBD laneways, to the suburbs and beyond. Any space can be a Fringe venue – fully kitted out theatres, galleries, bars, warehouses, shopfronts, caravans, and even laundromats (yes, you heard us right). Basically, if you have space, you can be a Fringe venue!
As an Open Access festival, it means anyone can be a part of Fringe, and all work is presented by the artists or their independent producers. This means anyone and everyone can be involved in Melbourne Fringe… it doesn’t matter how big or small your venue is! We don’t select or curate the program or book artists or shows for you, but we can help guide you through the process.
• Introduce your venue to a new audience • Connect with our fabulous culture-making, risk-taking, world-shaking artists • Appear on our website • Dedicated Fringe staff member to manage ticketing • Participant Services staff available to help Psst…It’s totally FREE to register your venue for Melbourne Fringe. We don’t charge our venues anything to take part.
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There are basically three different ways venues can engage with Fringe:
Having said all of that, there are no ‘set’ ways to work with Fringe and it is often a combination of approaches! Melbourne Fringe maintain an extensive database of brilliant venues of all shapes and sizes – this database is available to all Fringe artists and producers, who will use it to find the perfect home for their show, exhibition or event. If an artist or producer is interested in using your venue they will contact you directly to negotiate. The agreement is always between the artist/producer and the venue, and not between Melbourne Fringe and the venue.
(we can help you answer these questions if you’re unsure, don’t worry)