A Fringe Festival is a forum that unites artists and audiences in a fun, exploratory environment.  The guiding  principles of the Fringe include unrestricted artistic expression, accessibility and community development.
 The Fringe encourages artists to explore and test boundaries and make bold choices in the creation of art.

Founded in 1997, the Ottawa Fringe Festival has enjoyed consistent growth over the years and now includes 15 venues in the heart of the National Capital. The Steam Whistle-Wellington Fringe Club – our licensed outdoor venue on the corner of Daly and Waller – serves as the heart
of the Mighty Fringe and features nightly musical guests. It’s the best place to meet performers, catch the buzz on hot Fringe shows and see previews for other performances.

HISTORY

Fringe Festivals trace their roots to Scotland in 1947 when several theatre companies not invited to participate in the first Edinburgh International Festival staged their shows on “the fringe” of the official venues, setting up wherever they could find space, finding audiences by word of mouth and succeeding or failing on the strength of their talents alone.

The Fringe’s mandate is to afford all artists the opportunity to produce their art, regardless of experience, content, form or style; and to make the event as affordable and accessible as possible for the community. The result is a vibrant and exciting artistic environment where the audiences
– not juries – decide which are the good shows, the bad shows, the extravagantly awful shows.

Embracing this spirit of artistic freedom, the first North American Fringe Festival was established in Edmonton in 1982. Audiences were wildly enthusiastic and the Edmonton Fringe is now second only to the Edinburgh Festival in size. Encouraged by this tremendous success, many cities across Canada and United States created Fringe Festivals of their own, each with its own distinctive style, but all adhering to the principles of accessibility, affordability and artistic daring.

THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF FRINGE FESTIVALS

The Ottawa Fringe Festival is a member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF) (www.fringefestivals.com). CAFF has established a set of guidelines and philosophies to which each Fringe Festival must adhere. Fringe Festival performers are selected in a non-juried process, and the Festival exercises no control over the artistic content of the performances. In addition, 100% of ticket revenue is returned directly to the artists themselves. CAFF currently has 24 members, including 7 American Fringes.

Each year, the CAFF touring circuit provides more than 800 theatre companies with an opportunity to present their work in a supportive environment. This circuit appeals to the more than 795,000 people who attend Fringe Festivals in North America every year. This circuit allows for the continued evolution and development of artists and audiences from around the world.

CANADA :

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Cowichan Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.cowichanfringe.com

ALBERTA
Athabasca Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.athabascafringe.ab.ca
July 22-24, 2005

Edmonton Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.fringetheatreadventures.ca
August 12-22, 2005

The Grande Little Fringe (Grande Prairie) (CAFF)
ade2525@telus.ne

SASKATCHEWAN
Regina International Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.reginafringe.com
August 2-7, 2005

Saskatoon International Fringe Festival (CAFF)
August 4-14, 2005

Swift Current Fringe Festival (CAFF)
July 28-31, 2005

MANITOBA
Winnipeg Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.winnipegfringe.com
July 20-30, 2005

ONTARIO
Hamilton Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.hamiltonfringe.ca

London Fringe Theatre Festival (CAFF)
www.londonfringe.ca
July 29-August 7, 2005

Thunder Bay Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.tbfringe.com
July 14-17, 2005

The Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival (CAFF)
www.fringetoronto.com
July 6-17, 2005

QUÉBEC

MARITIMES
Atlantic Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.atlanticfringe.ca
September 1-11, 2005

UNITED STATES:

Boulder Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.boulderfringe.org
August 17-28, 2005

Cincinnati Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.cincyfringe.com
June 1-12, 2005

Indianapolis Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.indyfringe.org
August 19-28, 2005

Iowa Fringe Festival
www.iowafringe.com
July 21-24, 2005

Minnesota Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.fringefestival.org
August 4-14, 2005

New York International Fringe Festival
www.fringenyc.org
August 12-28, 2005

Orlando International Fringe Festival (CAFF)
TBA for 2006

Philadelphia Fringe Festival
www.pafringe.com
September 2-17, 2005

San Diego Super Fringe International Festival (CAFF)
www.actorsalliance.com
June 15-26, 2005

San Francisco Fringe Festival (CAFF)
www.sffringe.org
September 7-18, 2005

UNITED KINGDOM:

Bath Fringe Festival
www.bathfringe.co.uk
TBA for 2006

Brighton Fringe Festival
www.brightonfestivalfringe.co.uk
TBA for 2006

Buxton Festival Fringe
www.buxtonfringe.com
July 8-24, 2005

Edinburgh Fringe Festival
www.edfringe.com
August 7-29, 2005

Llangollen Fringe Festival (Wales)
www.llangollenfringe.co.uk
July 14-28, 2005

Newbury Fringe Festival
www.newburyfringefestival.org
TBA for 2006

St. Ives September Fringe Festival (Cornwall)
www.stivesfringefestival.co.uk

Wimbledon Fringe Festival
www.wombledon.org.uk
July 1-10, 2005

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