How to Program a Fringe Festival

We caught up with Sydney Fringe’s Programs Manager, Rowan Brunt, who has been jet-setting across the country, scouring Fringe World Perth and Adelaide Fringe Festival for the wild, wonderful, and boundary-pushing shows that could light up Sydney this September.

In our exclusive video chat, Rowan shares more about his role as a Programs Manager and discussing our Sydney Fringe Touring Awards, and what he looks for when deciding what shows to bring to Sydney Fringe Festival 2025.

The Magic of an Open-Access Festival

Sydney Fringe Festival is an open-access festival, which means anyone can apply to be part of it! (In fact, Artist Registrations open on 17 March—mark your calendars!)

But alongside this open-access model, we also curate and program shows in our Fringe-Managed Venues, ensuring a lineup of exceptional performances from local, national, and international artists.

Sydney Fringe’s Tour Ready Award: Discovering the Best of the Best

Sydney Fringe is all about celebrating creativity and giving artists a bigger platform to share their work. That’s why we present the Sydney Fringe Tour Ready Award at six Fringe Festivals worldwide:
🏆 Fringe World Perth 
🏆 Adelaide Fringe Festival 
🏆 Melbourne Fringe Festival 
🏆 San Diego International Fringe Festival 
🏆 Hollywood Fringe Festival 
🏆 New Zealand Fringe Festival 

Each year, we scout standout shows that deserve a bigger stage, inviting these award-winning performances to join us in Sydney.

We can’t wait to announce the Tour Ready winners for Sydney Fringe Festival 2025 – stay tuned!

What’s Next?

Watch our chat with Rowan, where he spills all the behind-the-scenes secrets on programming a Fringe festival—what makes a show stand out & what he’s looking for in 2025.

Want to perform at Sydney Fringe Festival 2025? Artist registrations open 17 March and close 13 April!