Event Presenter FAQs

Fringe is for everyone. Open Access means that anyone can put on a show as part of the festival in September. There is no selection process and the main festival program is not programmed or curated.

By opening the doors to all creatives, performers and material testers, the festival not only reflects the most diverse, on the pulse and cutting-edge points of view but also motivates our participants to produce the most exciting work that they can.

Whether you’re an artist, event presenter, groover, shaker, on-stage healer, belter, comic, poet, acrobat sensation, drag star, performance artist, or any kind of artist really, mark your calendars for March 1st when our event registrations open. Registrations will close on the 1st of April.
We welcome all genres, experience levels, and wild ideas.

The Sydney Fringe is an open access arts festival, the largest independent arts festival in NSW. Open Access means that anyone can put on a show as part of the festival in September. There is no selection process and the main festival program is not programmed or curated.

The Sydney Fringe does not produce any shows that register through our system. We are here to provide you with the resources, support and exposure necessary to make your show a success.

The Fringe does produce large scale public events, as well as increasingly commissioning work, providing paid performance opportunities and working with our partners to create vibrant festival hubs, that bring the city to life throughout September. (Keep your eyes peeled for EOI’s for performance opportunities and commissions!)

We also use our status as NSW’s largest independent arts festival to advocate for the needs of artists in Sydney. Over the past ten years, under the directorship of Kerri Glasscock, the Sydney Fringe team have enabled new open access spaces for artists year round, modelled pilot programmes including partnerships with retail, business and government (which keep your costs down), and represented the challenges faced by artists to your elected officials.

The Sydney Fringe does not produce any shows that register through our system. We are here to provide you with the resources, support and exposure necessary to make your show a success.

We have two processes for Event Presenters to find their Sydney Fringe venue.

Bring Your Own Venue 

If you know the venue that you want to perform in, you can contact them directly and book your event. If the venue you want to perform in isn’t registered with Sydney Fringe, you can still perform there. However, the venue manager will need to register the venue in the Eventotron system and connect it with Sydney Fringe Festival 2024.
When you BYO a venue, your main point of contact for anything venue related is the venue manager. Of course, TSF will support you where needed, but your event will be subject to a direct agreement between the Event Presenter and the venue regarding venue hire.

Venue Matching 

Venue matching is where TSF assists you with finding a venue. So if you are not sure what venue is best for your event, or you want assistance contacting a specific venue, or you would like your event to be considered for one of our Fringe Managed Venues,  then this option is for you.

Once you’ve registered your event, a member of our Sydney Fringe Programs team will be in touch to discuss your venue needs in more detail and start the process to match your show to a venue.
There are two options when it comes to venue matching – Fringe Managed Venues (FMV) or Fringe Partner Venues (FPV).

Fringe Managed Venues  
The Sydney Fringe manages several existing and temporary spaces during the festival, these are sometimes colloquially called our Hubs or Programs. These venues give artists access to spaces that are not accessible at any other time of the year. The venue hire is partially subsidised by TSF and the agreement is between the event presenter and TSF.
Some of our Fringe Managed Venues for 2024 include:

• Emerging Artists Sharehouse
• Cabaret Club
• Queer Hub
• Dance Hub
• Touring Hub
• Made in Sydney program
• Fringe Kids program
• Festival Gardens
• Limitless program

Fringe Partner Venues 

The best place for your event might not be in a Fringe Managed Venues. TSF partners with many existing performances spaces and we will introduce and help guide the conversation with these venues on your behalf. These spaces are established venues throughout Sydney. Once confirmed, your main point of contact for anything venue related is with the venue manager. Of course, TSF will support you where needed, but your event will be subject to a direct agreement between the Event Presenter and the venue regarding venue hire.

Fringe is for everyone.

Open access means that anyone can put on a show as part of the festival in September. There is no selection process and the main festival program is not programmed or curated.

By opening the doors to all creatives, performers and material testers, the festival not only reflects the most diverse, on the pulse and cutting-edge points of view but also motivates our participants to produce the most exciting work that they can.

Whether you’re an artist, event presenter, groover, shaker, on-stage healer, belter, comic, poet, acrobat sensation, drag star, performance artist, or any kind of artist really, mark your calendars for March 1st when our event registrations open. Registrations will close on the 31st March.

We welcome all genres, experience levels, and wild ideas.

Sydney Fringe Festival 2024 will run from 3 September – 13 October.

Registrations for 2024 Festival will open on from March 1- 31. Registrations for other Sydney Fringe managed programs through 2024 will be announced on a rolling basis as program details are confirmed. To stay updated, join our mailing list. To stay updated, join our mailing list.

A GENRE FLUID AND MULTI-ART FESTIVAL 

The festival is genre-fluid and a platform for all art forms. We support the needs of specific genres and event requirements by creating hubs and experiences for audiences. Our 2024 Hubs and programs include; Dance Hub, Emerging Artist Sharehouse, Fringe Kids program, Cabaret Club, Limitless, Queer Hub, Touring Hub and Made in Sydney program, with more to be confirmed.

ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE AND AFFORDABLE PERFORMANCE SPACES
We activate new, under-used, and unused space throughout our city – from traditional, to site specific. In 2023, a total of 80 venues across Greater Sydney were used to deliver the festival. Our venues span various kinds of spaces, from outdoor tents, terrace houses, black box theatres and studios presenting various genres and demographics.

OUR AUDIENCES LOVE NEW WORK AND NEW EXPERIENCES  
The Sydney Fringe provides a great platform for experimental work or work in development. 44% of our audience say the main reason they come to the Sydney Fringe is to see new work, and 51% say their main reason is to have unique experiences.

CAREER PATHWAYS/DEVELOPMENT  
Event Presenters can use the festival as an opportunity to set goals, and get in front of local, interstate, and international industry. We always attract new artists from a variety of backgrounds, mediums, and skills. Sydney Fringe Festival can be a launch pad into the next big step in your artistic journey.

NETWORK AND COMMUNITY BUILDING 
TSF is a great way to increase your creative network and make new connections with artists and industry professionals. Our Artist Masterclasses with industry experts offer an opportunity to hone your craft and learn from the best in the industry. Networking opportunities with fellow artists create a sense of community, where ideas can be shared, and collaborations can form.

WIN AWARDS  
Our growing festival awards can bring you prestige! Every year Fringe directors from around the world visit Sydney specifically to see shows in the Sydney Fringe Festival program. In 2024, Fringe Award winners will travel to Adelaide Fringe, NZ Fringe, Melbourne Fringe, San Diego International Fringe and Hollywood Fringe.

ARTIST PASS 
We saved the best for last – free tickets! If there’s an empty seat at a Sydney Fringe show, you will be able to fill it for FREE as a Fringe registered event presenter. This is our way of helping our event presenters support each other and experience the work the Fringe artistic community is making. With your Artist Pass, you will also have access to a range of discounts on food and drinks at Fringe Managed Venues and partner venues around the city. More details will be provided to artists closer to the start of the festival.

There’s more on how to budget, market and create your show coming soon on our resource hub and we host a series of eight masterclasses from March through to May, which will see you on your way to producing and presenting a cracker show or event in 2024.

A few tips and tricks and system changes from previous years:

• Make sure you budget specifically, bank on no more than 30% capacity, and record the time and resources you’re giving to the project ‘In-Kind’ (i.e. without payment).
• Remember to embrace all that the Fringe has to offer – from producer support sessions to networking events, the chance to see shows for free, awards, and future touring possibilities – your Fringe experience can be so much more expansive than your own show!

The process of registering your event with Sydney Fringe Festival happens via AVR platform – Eventotron, a custom-built online environment designed specifically for our event presenters and venues.

Within Eventotron you will be asked to provide all the information on your event so we can best help in programming you within the festival. The information provided will also be used to populate the festival guide and website.  The Eventotron portal makes it much easier to connect with other national and international festivals when you’re thinking about taking your show on the road. Most importantly, it’s easy to use!

To join the festival, register here on the Sydney Fringe Festival 2024 Eventotron platform.

Are you a New Event Presenter? If you are new to Eventotron, please create an account. Enter your email address in the ‘New Users’ box then click ‘Register’. You will receive a password by email very quickly. Use that password to login to Eventotron.
 
Returning Event Presenter? If you’ve already set up an account just fill in the left hand ‘Existing Users’ box with your email address and the password you were sent in your welcome email.

Once you are logged into Eventotron search in the Festival/Seasons section for Sydney Fringe Festival 2024 and start the registration process. You can always pause the process and come back to it. Deadline for registrations is March 31 2024

Start the process in Eventotron and if you get stuck on a question, give the Programs team a call on 0402 371 004 or email artists@sydneyfringe.com

The Sydney Fringe welcomes International Performers. The Registration process is the same as for a local performer, but will required to answer a few more questions relating to financials and taxation.

If you are an international performer, you are responsible for ensuring that you have the correct Visa’s to perform in Australia. The Sydney Fringe can only offer limited support in the area of Visa’s. If you do need Visa support or have concerns around Visa arrangements, please contact our Programming Team as early as possible at artists@sydneyfringe.com.