OUR MISSION
For the benefit of artists, performers and audiences World Fringe operates to unite, strengthen & connect the Fringe Festival Sector and global Fringe community through introduction, communication, education and the dissemination of information.
About World Fringe
The international Fringe Festival Association set up to serve the global Fringe community, including festival staff, venues, performers & artists, agents, audiences, suppliers, media, sponsors & supporters, and wider industry professionals.
World Fringe organises and facilitates one-to-one meetings, conversation and spreading the word about existing Fringe Festivals as well as consulting with new and developing Fringes. World Fringe hosts networking events, conferences, talks and workshops on where to go and how to get involved. It offers advice on whose who, what’s on where and how it can be useful. World Fringe educates the festival sector and audiences on the importance of ‘Fringe’.
History of World Fringe
World Festival Network Managing Director, Holly Lombardo has been avidly working for, supporting and researching Fringe Festivals and their performers since 2001. World Fringe launched as a subsidiary of the World Festival Network in 2012.
The Network was formed in early 2000 while Holly Payton-Lombardo was Manager at the Brighton Fringe and was Director of a venue at the Edinburgh Fringe. She was fascinated by the passion within Fringe staff and performers and made it a mission to introduce performers to visiting Fringe staff, and Fringe staff to each other.
This developed into an organised format during the Edinburgh Fringe via a panel talk of Fringe Managers (Fringe Festivals Around The World) where Directors of Fringes would talk about their festivals to an audience of artists and arts professionals. The Fringe Festivals Around The World Event, which happens every third weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe, is now in its 9th year!
Holly travelled the world visiting Fringe Festivals and researching how to support all those involved in the sector. With the help of Cath Mattos, the World Festival Network was able to concentrate more time on the needs of Fringe Festivals; it has begun to create touring routes, introducing more Fringe staff to each other, advising more performing companies, lecturing on Fringe, running workshops about Fringe and consulting on new and developing Fringes across the globe. It partnered in running the Inaugural World Fringe Congress with the Edinburgh Fringe Society in 2012 where over 80 Fringe Festival professionals, representing 49 Fringes from 20 countries met for the very first time to discuss this ever expanding Festival Sector.
The mission of World Fringe
For the benefit of artists, performers and audiences World Fringe operates to unite, strengthen & connect the Fringe Festival Sector and global Fringe community through introduction, communication, education and the dissemination of information.
Objectives of World Fringe
To promote Fringe Festivals throughout the world to sponsors, artists, suppliers and audiences.
To host a range of opportunities for information and knowledge sharing and networking amongst the Fringe Festival industry.
To provide up to date, high quality information to the Fringe Festival sector and audiences.
To highlight and promote best practice and new developments within the Fringe Festival sector.
To create a means to unite all who are involved in the Festival industry.
To make Festival information useful and more accessible.
To encourage audiences, travel, synergies and collaboration.
To expose issues and keep the industry fresh and up to date with political agendas; highlight global developments and to monitor trends.
To lobby as ‘one voice’ for a united sector.
To encourage touring and to strengthen artist development and opportunities.
To create a platform for staff and volunteer exchange and employment.
To educate on what a Fringe Festival is, and the platforms and opportunities they provide.
To support performers, artists, touring companies, producers and agents.
We make no profit from Fringe Festival Societies.