The history of the Fringe World Festival began in 1983. That year, the Festival Fringe Society of Perth was established to manage an annual Fringe Festival. The festival was conceived as an alternative to the more formal Perth International Arts Festival. In 1988, the festival was moved from summer to spring and re-branded as Artrage, an annual festival showcasing alternative independent arts.
Today’s Fringe World can be considered the successor of the Artrage Festival. The pilot edition was held in February 2011, featuring 23 events at six venues across Perth. The first full Fringe World Festival opened on January 26, 2012. The two-week festival presented 200 events at 40 traditional and non-traditional venues, attracting around 150,000 people.
Over the years, Perth’s Fringe World has grown to become the third largest fringe festival in the world (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Adelaide Fringe Festival) and the second-largest annual arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere. It lasts for about a month, from late January to late February, during Australia’s buzzing summer season.
Like most other festivals of its kind, Fringe Worlds doesn’t have a strict selection process. It is an open-access festival whichб means that artists from around the globe can participate. But it’s not like they just can come to Perth and perform. All performers are required to register in advance because the number of venues is limited. Registrations usually open in July and close in September.
The program of the Fringe World festival features different types and genres of art including theater, film and multimedia, dance, music, comedy, cabaret and burlesque, circus, and more. It includes both free and ticketed events presented at a variety of venues. The festivals offer events for visitors of all ages. There are children-appropriate performances (0+, 5+, 10+), adult-only events (15+, 18+), and family-friendly events with no age limit. So everyone can find something interesting and exciting at Fringe World.
Photo by Mike Flood
