44th fringe festival ‘full of stars’ to look slightly different with cost-saving changes

Attendees are seen at a venue at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in an undated handout photo. The Edmonton Fringe Festival says a new fundraising campaign that lets donors "adopt" and then name a portable toilet has been a success. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Edmonton Fringe Festival, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

The theme of the 44th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival was revealed on Friday: “A Fringe full of stars.”

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“The stars for us really is about not just those who are on stage, but those who are backstage, those who are volunteering, those who come to see 45 shows during the festival,” artistic director Murray Utas told CTV News Edmonton.

“What we can expect from this theme is a very vast look at our existence…. And I think that it makes sense with the global nature of our festival, being international.”

Running Aug. 14-24, the festival will consist of 223 theatre productions at 40 venues and some 1,600 artists from across the globe.

Among the Fringe favourites that are returning are the Indigenous pêhonân Series, free Kids Fringe and nightly music series in ATB Park (Wilbert McIntyre Park), and Sea Change Brewing Co. as the event’s exclusive beer provider.

Some things will look different, however.

Executive director Megan Dart said the festival may not be able to provide its usual free shuttle service between the festival and Edmonton’s French Quarter. It is also not providing staff with T-shirts.

She said the festival is doing everything it can to “preserve that audience and artistic experience,” but continues to be in a precarious financial position with festival costs increasing 8.5 per cent over last year’s nine per cent.

“Last year, by many measures, was one of our most successful festivals in the history of fringe theater. But the truth is, we are still facing incredible financial struggle as an industry,” Dart told CTV News Edmonton.

But the festival is celebrating growing its number of monthly donors from 34 to 540 over the past year. And ATB Financial has committed to being the festival’s lead partner through 2027.

Dart said, “Yes, we are still in survival mode, but we are still here. We are scrappy. We’ve been building this movement on duct tape and dreams for 44 years; we will continue to do that.”

Tickets go on sale Aug. 6. Under the fringe theatre model, 100 per cent of the ticket price goes to performers, while the ticket fee portion goes to the festival, which was increased in 2024.

The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is known as the largest and longest running of its kind in North America.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Dave Mitchell