Photo: Chloe Hashemi
Welcome to the Brighton Fringe 2017 Annual Review. Inside you will find a wealth of information about our most exciting year yet and the work we do year round. Brighton Fringe is the largest arts festival in England, creating opportunities for everyone to engage in the arts; whatever your background or experience - we are open to all. In 2017 we enjoyed more than 1,000 events in over 160 venues across Brighton & Hove and beyond. The amount of work that goes into the facilitation of this giant event is monumental and I’d like to pay tribute to our dedicated staff team, including all our volunteers and freelancers, and to our funders and sponsors for your vital contribution. Of course, we would be nothing without our participants, whose work is a continued surprise and delight; astoundingly original and wildly diverse, attracting audiences from near and far. So thank you, each and every one of you - audiences, participants, staff and supporters for your time and your energy in helping to make Brighton Fringe one of the fastest growing and most important arts festivals in the world!
Heather James Chair
Photo: Chloe Hashemi
“FROM PIER TO PAVILION, BEACH HUTS TO CATHEDRAL, THE WHOLE CITY IS A STAGE!“
Brighton Fringe 2017 was not just about size – though we did see registered events hit the 1,000 mark for the first time ever this year – but also the continued growth and development of our relationships with organisations both locally and internationally. We were delighted to have Councillor Pete West, Mayor of Brighton & Hove, streamed live on a big screen from the Eiffel Tower in Paris to launch not only Brighton Fringe but also the Brighton2Paris Charity Cycle Ride 2017. Accompanied by fireworks courtesy of The Warren and a showcase of performances by Brighton Fringe artists, this was just a taste of what was to come over the course of the month. We enjoyed a particularly strong international offering (including 109 acts from 28 countries), working with Amsterdam Fringe to present the first ever Brighton Fringe Dutch Season. 14 award-winning events direct from the Netherlands took place in Brighton as part of this mini-season across the last two weeks of the festival. I’m delighted to see the continued appeal of Brighton Fringe to the general public and artists alike. It is a humbling experience to see the sheer scale of work that goes into it from all those involved, at every level, and I can’t thank you enough. It is a very precarious landscape in the arts and the triumph of an event such as Brighton Fringe is that it provides a vital, open platform for everyone. Consider planning for 2018 well under way. We look forward to seeing you then!
Julian Caddy Managing Director
Photo: James Bellorini
4
1,008
WEEKS
EVENTS
168 VENUES
4,601
BRIGHTON FRINGE BROCHURES DISTRIBUTED ACROSS SUSSEX, KENT & LONDON
329
FAMILY GUIDES DISTRIBUTED ACROSS EAST & WEST SUSSEX
PERFORMANCES
200+ FREE EVENTS
WORLD PREMIERES
555,518
110,000
TOTAL ATTENDANCES
FRINGE CITY FOOTFALL
249,483
£2,100,000+
TOTAL TICKETS SOLD
SOCIAL MEDIA
OVERALL TICKET VALUE
51K 4,614 10,800 TWITTER
DISTRIBUTION 100,000
80,000 15,000
POCKET GUIDES DISTRIBUTED ACROSS BRIGHTON & HOVE
WEB STATS 228,725 UNIQUE VISITORS TO BRIGHTONFRINGE.ORG
1,750,802 PAGE VIEWS
Photo: James Bellorini
†
Direct engagement in Brighton Fringe is growing, with a 122% audience increase since 2014, demonstrating our commitment to extending the inclusivity and reach of the festival
535K
Brighton Fringe is a truly international festival, presenting events from a diverse range of cultures
97% of the audience agreed that Brighton Fringe makes a positive contribution to Brighton’s image*
In 2017 Brighton Fringe hosted 109 international acts from 28 countries
555K
Countries with events at Brighton Fringe 2017
405K
70% of volunteers participated to meet new people in their community ‡
23 bursaries were offered to participants in 2017
250K
2014
2015
2016
2017
† Based on a combination of Brighton Fringe Box Office ticket sales, venue ticket sales and attendances at free events
Over £25,000 of financial support was given to participants in 2017 *Stats from our 2017 online audience survey
90% of the audience agreed that Brighton Fringe encourages greater participation in community life and events* ‡ Stats from our 2017 online volunteers survey
Photo: James Bellorini
“BRIGHTON FRINGE ATTRACTS A BUILT-IN AUDIENCE OF PEOPLE OF ALL AGES WHO ARE GENUINELY OPEN TO SEEING NEW AND EXCITING WORK”
All statistics, unless otherwise noted, are derived from our 2017 audience survey, conducted online.
CABARET & CIRCUS 75 events COMEDY 322 events DANCE & PHYSICAL THEATRE 31 events EVENTS & FILM 30 events KIDS & YOUTH 59 events
39% Male
1% Other 60% Female
66+ 12% 56-65 8% 46-55 22% 36-45 25% 26-35 27% 6% 18-25
Age*
Visitors
25.4% 76.6% Brighton Residents
MUSIC 110 events LITERATURE & SPOKEN WORD 28 events NIGHTLIFE 14 events TOURS 21 events THEATRE 264 events
57% of visitors spent 1-3 days in the city Average of 4 shows per audience member
£20
VISUAL ARTS 29 events WORKSHOPS 25 events
Average amount spent outside of ticket costs *Romax Data Audit
25% of visitors spent 4-7 days in the city 15% of visitors who stayed in Brighton stayed in a hotel
110,000
attended Fringe City and Family Picnics
Photo: James Bellorini
“ADELAIDE, BRIGHTON AND EDINBURGH ARE ... LEADING FRINGE FESTIVALS THAT HAVE RECOGNISED MORE THAN EVER BEFORE THE VITAL ROLE THEY ARE PLAYING IN THE FUTURE OF THE ARTS”
All statistics, unless otherwise noted, are derived from our 2017 participants survey, conducted online.
Including:
BURSARIES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
51% Male
FINANCE & BUDGETING ADVICE RINGE ACADEMY F WORKSHOPS INSURANCE & COPYWRITING ADVICE PARTICIPANT RESOURCES & GUIDES PARTICIPANT NEWSLETTERS
65+ 55-64
3% 16%
45-54 21% 35-44 26% 1% Other 48% Female
25-34 27% 20-24 6% 16-19
16% increase in Fringe Academy attendance in 2017
1%
Age
NEWS
PARTICIPANT & REGISTRATION SUPPORT VENUE GUIDANCE & LIAISION WINDOW (Arts Industry Showcase)
96% of attendees described the workshops as “good” to “excellent”
90% live in the UK
44% of shows received reviews
76% of participants felt being part of Brighton Fringe was a valuable experience
Photo: Chloe Hashemi
2017 LAUNCH
MEDIA
•
•
All new Brighton Fringe mobile app incorporating the audience choice award voting system
•
New media partnerships with The Big Issue and Heart FM
Brighton Fringe launched by the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, via a live video stream from Paris, in conjunction with the start of the Mayor’s Charity Bike Ride 2017
FRINGE CITY •
New Fringe City date added on Monday 8 May to celebrate the end of the Mayor’s Charity Bike Ride from Paris to Brighton
•
A new Fringe City site at Bartholomew Square, presented in association with Sweet Venues, extended Fringe City’s presence from Thursday through Sunday each week
EVENTS •
•
Brighton Fringe’s first ever Dutch Season presented in partnership with Amsterdam Fringe showcasing 14 awardwinning events across the last two weeks of the festival
PARTICIPANT SERVICES •
Brighton Spiegeltent hosted both the Participant and exclusive Brighton Fringe hubs for the duration of the festival
BOX OFFICE •
Brand new Ticket Collection Service introduced at Hove Library
•
Box Office presence on New Road extended from March onwards
25 awards given at the Brighton Fringe 2017 award ceremony
CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS
•
•
Expansion of Brighton Fringe members-only hub along with corporate and client entertainment packages
A second Dutch Season and a first ever Finnish Season confirmed
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT
•
•
Continued growth of print distribution and audience development throughout Sussex, Kent, London and further afield; reinforcing Brighton Fringe as a destination festival
Further development of registration system, website and mobile app
Photo: James Bellorini
“BOOK IT. COMEDY, CABARET, CIRCUS, THEATRE, LIVE MUSIC ... [ARE] ALL TO BE FOUND IN A FULL-TO-BURSTING LINEUP AT THIS YEAR’S BRIGHTON FRINGE ... THERE WILL BE SOMETHING YOU LOVE.”
Sponsorship & Advertising: £178,142 (37%) Artist Registration: £125,422 (26%) Total Income £482,514
Box Office: £91,836 (19%) Charitable Grants: £52,500 (11%) Public Funding: £13,419 (2.5%) Friends Scheme & Donations: £17,384 (3.5%) Other Income: £3,811 (1%)
Staffing Costs: £238,443.00 (50.5%) Marketing: £138,569.00 (29%) Events & Arts Industry: £52,753.00 (11%) Box Office & Card Charges: £19,011.00 (4%)
Total Expenditure £473,398
Office Overheads: £13,916.00 (3%) Professional Fees: £10,706.00 (2.5%) * The above figures are draft and unaudited
Photo: James Bellorini
“OF COURSE, ONE OF THE MAJOR STARS OF THE FRINGE IS BRIGHTON ITSELF”
BRIGHTON FRINGE 2017 HEADLINE SPONSOR
Here at Brighton Fringe, we are immensely proud of our strong history of maintaining relationships with our sponsors. We tailor each offer according to the partner to make the most of the creative aspects of each partnership. Don’t just take our word for it though, here are testimonials from two of our longest-standing partners, who have been supporting us for seven years now.
“Citroën has been supporting Brighton Fringe since 2011; every year the Fringe goes from strength to strength and I’m delighted that we’ve maintained our link with such a successful, dynamic and creative event. One of Citroën’s core values is ‘be different, feel good!’, and through our relationship with Brighton Fringe, we’ve really managed to bring this to life.”
“We had an amazing time at Brighton Fringe 2017 and were particularly delighted to see so many Sussex based artists applying for the International Touring Bursary. We had great fun judging the entries and are looking forward to finding out where this year’s winners, Cinebra, will choose to tour their fantastic show.”
NEVILLE STAINES, CITROËN UK
LOUISE ARNELL, THE PEBBLE TRUST
BRIGHTON FRINGE 2017 PRINCIPAL FUNDER
Photo: Chloe Hashemi
FUNDERS
KEY MEDIA PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNERS
PARTNERS
SUPPORTERS
Photos, front and back pages: James Bellorini
COMPANY & CONTACT DETAILS Brighton Fringe Ltd Brighton Metropolitan College Pelham Street Brighton, BN1 4FA Telephone: 01273 764900 Email: info@brightonfringe.org www.brightonfringe.org
Charity number: 1116367 Company number: 5578256 VAT number: 892 5694 68 @brightonfringe
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