How to Fringe - FAQ

What is the Brighton Fringe?

Brighton Fringe is the third largest open-access multi-artform festival in the world, and what makes it exceptional is that it is set in a city with a unique heritage of liberalism and creativity, shaped over hundreds of years.

Brighton Festival Fringe Ltd is a service organisation and registered charity that looks to support and educate artists and producers to promote the arts to a wider

audience.

In 2011 the Brighton Fringe was made up of 625 individual events in 180 venues,

featured over 3000 performances, 135 free events, 180,000 attendances and the sale of more than 100,000 tickets.

When did it start and why?

The Brighton Fringe started as an extension to the Brighton Festival's curated programme in 1967 and worked as a showcase for local artists, performers and promoters. This Brighton Fringe grew so considerably that it became a company and festival in its own right in 2006.

Who can take part?

We neither select nor programme the events that are included so anyone can put on an event as part of the festival in May.

What if I'm from overseas and a non UK based performer?

Brighton Fringe welcomes national and international acts. If you are a performer from outside the UK you may need a visa to enter the UK, and register with the Foreign Entertainers Tax department.

What are the benefits of taking part?

See your event listed in the Brighton Fringe brochure: 100,000 of our fabulous brochures are printed and distributed in Brighton, Sussex and London. With ticket and venue details, it's the no. 1 guide to what's on in Brighton in May.

See your event listed on the Brighton Fringe website: with over 200,000

unique visitors (accumulating 23,584,366 hits in 2011) during the on-sale period, it's the best place to shop for tickets to Brighton Fringe events. Online sales reached a staggering 25,000 in 2011, and look set to rise in 2012.

See your tickets sell like hot cakes: With over 100,000 tickets sold overall,

we'll work to sell your tickets online, by phone and over the counter, 24 hours

a day, 7 days a week.

Qualify for our bursary scheme and get your registration for free! In 2011,

twelve shows by local promoters received a free registration, thanks to the generous support of Legal & General.

See that your event gets noticed: With thousands of previews and reviews, the

media and online networks covered every angle of Brighton Fringe they could

find, both on a local and national scale. Alongside 25 awards presented to Brighton Fringe shows, it's a great opportunity to get your name out there.

Get noticed by UK and international producers and bookers!

Make this an opportunity to showcase your talents, run an event, promote a

new show, film, songs, performance, act or skill. With over 180,000 people

attending Fringe events in May, make sure you get seen!

How can I take part?

Before you start, you'll need to make sure you have the following...

An event - Your event can be anything you like... a comedy sketch, a

musical, an exhibition, an installation, a tour, a film or a book fair.

A venue - Your event can he held anywhere you like... a theatre, a pub, a

taxi, a sewer, a park, a tent, a beach hut, a cafe, or your own house.

A date - Your event can take place at any time between Saturday 5 and

Sunday 27 May 2012; be it a one night show or even better, a 22 day run

- it's up to you!

Where is the central hub of Brighton Fringe (e.g. in Edinburgh the Royal

Mile)?

For the past few years we have run an outdoor event each Saturday during May

called "Fringe City". This takes place in the centre of Brighton around New Road, attracting 40,000 visitors. The event consists of a number of stages and performances where we would not only encourage participants to perform, dress up and parade but flyer too - not unlike the Royal Mile in that sense.

How many tourists does the festival estimate it generates?

Visit Brighton estimates that Brighton saw as many as 1 million visitors during its festival month of May in 2011. Brighton Fringe saw 180,000 attendances in 2011 and sold more than 100,000 tickets.

How many performances or events can I do?

You can register as many events as you like - the more you register, the less each event costs. If you wish to run one event with numerous performances you only pay one price. If you are running an event in more than one venue then you will have to register them separately as individual events.

What time of day is suitable time of day to put on a show? (In Edinburgh

there's a potential audience no matter what time the show is, in Brighton, is

it more of an evening event?)

Brighton Fringe can struggle to fill seats for day time, mid-week shows but of course well-promoted shows can get an audience at any time.

Do most acts do the whole three week festival, or do they find that there is

not enough audience to sustain the three weeks?

The length of your run will be determined by your budget (among other things) but we would advise you against putting on a one day only event as it will not generate much word-of-mouth or media attention. Thursday through to Sunday seem to be the most popular performance days of the week or doing every weekend is a good option too.

When is the best time to approach venues?

As soon as possible, the sooner the better.

How do I find a venue?

We have a list of venues available for hire but you can use any space you like. Once you have registered your event and the venue details, your venue automatically

becomes a Brighton Fringe venue. View out venue list at

www.brightonfringe.org/registration/venueguide.asp.

How do I advertise a venue as available for hire?

Download a venue registration form from our website. We'll get all the details of your venue on our online venue directory, and send artists and performers looking for

space your way.

What are the dates of the festival in 2012?

The festival runs from Saturday 5 May until Sunday 27 May 2012.

When do I register my event?

Registration for Brighton Fringe 2012 opens on Tuesday 1 November. The Early Bird deadline is midnight, 31 of December. The final deadline for registration is Monday 6 February 2012. Tickets go on sale mid-February.

The Brighton Fringe office is open/closed on the following dates:

24- 27December - Office closed

28, 29, 30 December - Office open - for registration support + help

31 December - Early Bird closes Midnight

Monday 2 January - Bank Holiday, Office Closed

Tuesday 3 January - Office open

How do I register my event?

Once registration opens, you can create a login and start registering your event(s) on the Brighton Fringe website. You register your events one by one and pay at the end. You'll need all the details of your event confirmed, but you needn't complete the

form in one go - your login will allow you to complete it section by section.

What is the cost to register?

The cost to register will depend on how many events you are registering, how many venues you are using, whether you are a charity or school, and whether you qualify for the bursary scheme or the early bird discount rate. Prices for 2012 Fringe will be published in November 2011.

What is the bursary scheme and who qualifies for this?

The bursary scheme works on a first come first served basis, and is open to

registrants from the Brighton and Hove area. If you have a BN postcode, are running

a one-off event in one of the four categories (Music, Kids, Literature and Comedy)

you may register in time to qualify so get in there early.

What is included in my registration fee?

Your event listed in Brighton's essential Fringe brochure and dedicated website

A free Brighton Fringe display board for your venue

Discounted additional advertising in the brochure and on the website

A dedicated box office service to maximise your ticket sales

All the help and support you need from our dedicated Brighton Fringe team in

the registration, set up and promotion of your event, including free workshops.

Brighton Fringe Manual - a step-by-step guide to making your event a success

Showcase your event at Fringe City - the biggest outdoor event in Brighton in May

The chance to create your own additional web page on the Brighton Fringe website for free

Press and publicity - get it previewed, reviewed and awarded because of the

media attention Brighton Fringe gets

Connect to online social networks that want to hear about Brighton Fringe

events

Get your event in the third largest fringe festival in the world!

What other costs are involved in running an event as part of Brighton

Fringe?

Costs vary depending on the size and budget of your event; Brighton Fringe does not invite artists to perform, nor does it produce or pay anyone to be a part of the festival. Your event must be funded by you and your budget will need to include the following:

Your production costs

Venue hire

Accommodation

Wages and living costs

Travel

Marketing (adverts, posters etc.)

Registration fee

Licences

Commission on ticket sales

How do I sell tickets for my event?

We run a box office so you don't have to, but you may want tickets available at another source; ie: the venue, so we make sure this is possible as well. You set the ticket prices and put forward any concessions or ticket offers. We ask that you allocate at least 30% of your tickets to the Brighton Fringe box office so that we can sell them through the website, in person and over the phone at the Brighton Dome Ticket Office. This ensures audiences know there's one place to get tickets for all Brighton Fringe events.

What commission do I pay on tickets?

We take 8.5% of the value of tickets sold through the Brighton Fringe Box Office; the rest is paid back to you within 4 weeks of the festival ending.

What is the average ticket price?

The average ticket price for 2011 was £9.60.

What additional advertising does Brighton Fringe offer?

There's plenty of opportunity to take out further advertising and if you have a registered event in Brighton Fringe you get a discount. Options include:

Adverts in the Brighton Fringe brochure

Adverts on the Brighton Fringe website

Flyer inserts in mailed out in the Brighton Fringe brochures

All weather Brighton Fringe banners

Advertising promotions, brochure and web advert deal

Fringe City - our outdoor showcase event - FREE!

How are the cost of adverts in the Brighton Fringe brochure broken down?

A rate card will be available to download from November. Anyone registering an event in Brighton Fringe is entitled to a discount on the commercial advertising rates.

Whom do I contact for additional help and support?

For further help and information please contact us on:

T: 01273 764900 Monday - Friday 10am - 5pm

E: participantservices@brightonfringe.org

Where can I get more information?

More information on the following will be available from our website as of the 1 November 2011.

Go to - www.brightonfringe.org for information about:

Brighton Fringe

How to Register - a detailed guide to being a part of Brighton Fringe

How to run a Brighton Fringe venue - a detailed guide to running a venue as

part of Brighton Fringe

Overseas artists and promoters

Volunteering with Brighton Fringe

Registering a venue

Finding a venue - searchable online venue directory

Detailed list of registration prices

Detailed list of additional advertising prices

Legal & General Bursary Scheme

Fringe City (performing and flyering)

Brighton flyer ban and obtaining a licence

PRS

FEU

Reproduced in its entirety with kind permission from Brighton Fringe Festival.

Original source here.