Toronto Fringe Festival

THE 2024 TORONTO FRINGE FESTIVAL WILL TAKE PLACE JULY 3-14, 2024

About the fringe

The Toronto Fringe Festival is Ontario's largest theatre and performance festival, taking place every summer in July. Since 1989, the festival has been unjuried, meaning the shows have been chosen by lottery rather than by curation, opening the stage to all who have a story to share. 

The 2023 Toronto Fringe Festival welcomed over 100 companies from around Canada and the world to multiple theatre venues across downtown Toronto. Over the course of 12 days, over 1,200 artists participated in performances across the city that include comedy, drama, musicals, improvisation, storytelling, children’s theatre, dance, and much more. 

RUN BY TORONTO FRINGE

The Toronto Fringe Festival is run by the Toronto Fringe - a grassroots, charitable organization that also runs the Next Stage Theatre Festival, and various year-round programs that benefit youth, emerging artists, BIPOC artists, artists with disabilities, and the performing arts community at large. Embedded in Fringe’s operations are the values of Access, Accountability, Creativity, Exploration, and Support.

Toronto Fringe is a creative match-maker, connecting artists with audiences, and empowering everyone to unleash their artist within. Toronto Fringe creates vital opportunities for both emerging and established artists to produce their work with complete artistic freedom, while making productions as affordable and accessible as possible.

WHAT IS THE FRINGE LOTTERY?

The Toronto Fringe is a non-juried festival, and holds a lottery to program the festival by selecting shows at random in a draw. This draw typically takes place in the late autumn. In line with all other Fringe Festivals in Canada, The Toronto Fringe does not evaluate the artistic merit of applicants, or the viability of the work – all applicants have the same chance of earning a show slot as the rest of their category.

WHY DO WE PROGRAM THE FESTIVAL VIA LOTTERY?

Because we, along with all other Canadian Fringe Festivals, believe that every voice has an equal right to be heard. It's not about who you know or how much you know. Your project holds just as much weight in the Fringe Lottery as anyone else's. The power of the Fringe Movement is that there are no gatekeepers. It's a platform for everyone to learn about and experiment with the arts.

OUR VALUES

ACCESS - in every sense of the word
ACCOUNTABILITY - we work with integrity and respect
CREATIVITY - freedom of expression permeates everything we do
EXPLORATION - we let curiosity be our guide
SUPPORT – empowering you to take a chance

Why is Fringe different?

In line with all other Fringe Festivals in Canada, the Toronto Fringe Festival believes:

  1. Performing artists in Canada should be supported - that’s why we return 100% of the net box office revenue to Fringe artists.
  2. Every voice has a right to be heard - that’s why we program the festival not by a jury of professionals, but by drawing names from a lottery each fall.
  3. Theatre should be surprising, risky, unconventional, fun and never boring - that’s why we don't interfere in the art on our stages.