BRIGHTON BIG DRAG PAGEANT Photo: Chloe Hashemi
Welcome to the Brighton Fringe 2018 Annual Review. Inside you will ďŹ nd a wealth of information about our biggest and best year yet; this year saw more than 4,000 performances and events in 164 venues across Brighton & Hove and beyond. Brighton Fringe is England’s largest arts festival and our success is a testament to our entire team of Patrons, Trustees, staff, and volunteers, as well as our generous partners and supporters. We would be nothing, however, without our talented participants who come from near and far to create an arts festival that is unparalleled in England in terms of diversity, quality and scale, or our audiences who embrace this with such enthusiasm. It has been my great pleasure and a privilege to have been involved with Brighton Fringe for over 12 years and I would like to thank everyone who makes Brighton Fringe what it is; both an asset to the local community as well as a truly international arts festival.
Heather James Chair
CIRCUS VEGAS Photo: David Smith
“VIBRANT PERFORMANCES AND CABARET COLOUR”
The past year has seen Brighton Fringe continue to grow its reach and diversity, both through more international partnerships and by improving the accessibility of our festival as a whole. As an open-access festival it is vital that we continue to remove any barriers to participation. In 2018 we debuted the Freedom Season, a programme of events that are accessible to a range of audiences with access needs, including those with physical and invisible disabilities. The season also showcases and supports the work of Deaf and disabled participants. We were delighted to have had 49 Freedom Season performances in 2018 and are working with a steering group of venues and disability advocates to expand this for next year’s Fringe. Our international offering increased this year (including 115 acts from 28 countries), with Flemish and Finnish seasons alongside a second edition of the Dutch season. In the current political climate we are proud to be building these relationships across Europe and bringing award-winning shows to Brighton audiences from around the world. Closer to home, it was heart-warming to see how the local and arts communities rallied around Brighton Fringe when we experienced a shortfall in income due to the loss of our headline sponsor only a few months before 2018’s festival. We set up a crowdfunding campaign to which participants and venues offered free tickets and experiences, a valued Friend of Brighton Fringe even donated private flights to pledgers, and with this collective effort and the generosity of the public we raised over £20,000 to ensure that the immediate future of Brighton Fringe could be secured. That meant we were able to start planning for Brighton Fringe 2019 and we’re very excited to share with you what we have in store. We look forward to seeing you then!
Julian Caddy CEO
THE SPIEGELTENT Photo: David Smith
“THE BIGGEST AND SMALLEST, THE BRIGHTEST AND BEST, THE YOUNGEST, OLDEST AND NEWEST”
4
1,010
WEEKS
EVENTS
164 VENUES
4,476
BRIGHTON FRINGE BROCHURES DISTRIBUTED ACROSS SUSSEX, KENT AND LONDON
373
FAMILY GUIDES DISTRIBUTED ACROSS EAST AND WEST SUSSEX
PERFORMANCES
200+ FREE EVENTS
WORLD PREMIERES
592,690
100,000
TOTAL ATTENDANCES
FRINGE CITY FOOTFALL
249,483
£2,100,000+
TOTAL TICKETS SOLD
SOCIAL MEDIA
DISTRIBUTION 100,000
OVERALL TICKET VALUE
54.8K 8.5K
12.3K
80,000 10,000
POCKET GUIDES DISTRIBUTED ACROSS BRIGHTON & HOVE
WEB STATS 250,837 UNIQUE VISITORS TO BRIGHTONFRINGE.ORG
1,867,290 PAGE VIEWS
FIT UP Photo: James Bellorini
†
Direct engagement in Brighton Fringe is growing, with a 129% audience increase since 2014, demonstrating our commitment to extending the inclusivity and reach of the festival
535K
555K
Brighton Fringe is a truly international festival, presenting events from a diverse range of cultures
98% of the audience agreed that Brighton Fringe makes a positive contribution to Brighton’s image*
In 2018 Brighton Fringe hosted 115 international events from 28 countries
573K
Countries with events at Brighton Fringe 2018
405K
70% of volunteers participated to meet new people in their community ‡
23 bursaries were offered to participants in 2018
250K
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
† 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 2018 *Stats from our 2018 online audience survey
93% of the audience agreed that Brighton Fringe encourages greater participation in community life and events* ‡ Stats from our 2017 online volunteers survey
GURU DUDU Photo: Nick Henley
All statistics, unless otherwise noted, are derived from our 2018 Audience Survey, conducted online.
CABARET & CIRCUS 78 events CHILDREN & YOUTH 57 events COMEDY 378 events DANCE & PHYSICAL THEATRE 27 events EVENTS & FILM 29 events
39% Male
1% Other 60% Female
66+ 56-65 46-55 36-45 26-35 18-25
12% 8% 22%
Age*
25% 27% 6%
LITERATURE & SPOKEN WORD 37 events
26% 74% Brighton Residents
56% of visitors spent 1-3 days in the city
MUSIC 83 events NIGHTLIFE 16 events
Visitors
Average of 4 shows per audience member
THEATRE 233 events TOURS 21 events VISUAL ARTS 24 events WORKSHOPS 31 events
31% of visitors spent 4-7 days in the city 20% of our audience who stayed in Brighton stayed in a hotel *Romax Data Audit
20% of our audience who stayed in Brighton spent £300+ on accomodation
100,000
attended Fringe City and Family Picnics
MY FATHER HELD A GUN Photo: Andrew O’Hara
“EVERY YEAR DURING MAY, BRIGHTON IS TRANSFORMED – WITH BRIGHTON FRINGE OFFERING A SPACE FOR INTERNATIONAL PERFORMERS TO SHOWCASE THE UNIQUENESS OF BRIGHTON’S CULTURAL HERITAGE”
All statistics, unless otherwise noted, are derived from our 2018 Participants Survey, conducted online.
Including:
BURSARIES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FINANCE & BUDGETING ADVICE FRINGE ACADEMY WORKSHOPS INSURANCE & COPYWRITING ADVICE PARTICIPANT & REGISTRATION SUPPORT PARTICIPANT NEWSLETTERS PARTICIPANT RESOURCES & GUIDES VENUE GUIDANCE & LIAISON WINDOW (Arts Industry Showcase)
53% Male
65+
3%
55-64 16% 45-54 21% 35-44 26% 2% Other 25-34 27% 20-24 6% 45% Female 16-19 1%
391 participants attended Fringe Academy workshops in 2018
100% of attendees described the workshops as “good” to “excellent”
Age
89% live in the UK
NEWS
39% of shows received reviews
73% of participants felt being part of Brighton Fringe was a valuable experience
FROM ONE HEART TO ANOTHER Photo: Nick Henley
BOX OFFICE
FUNDRAISING
•
•
First early on-sale period, with over 300 events on sale through the website and app from December 2017
Successful #FundFringe Crowdfunder raising over £21,000
EVENTS
DIGITAL
•
•
Newly developed ‘International Season’, comprising the Dutch, Flemish and Finnish Seasons. Brighton Fringe 2018 also included a performance of ‘Rosetta’ from Lithuania for Europe Day 2018
•
First ever Freedom Season, a programme of events that are accessible to a range of audiences with access needs, including those with physical and invisible disabilities.
•
Finnish Christmas celebration around ‘Treecycle’, a Christmas tree installation created by Finnish artist Vienno Motors Ilona Valkonen
•
Inaugural Brighton Fringe Summer Gala: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Fringe’
Brand new Brighton Fringe website and updated mobile app
PARTICIPANT SERVICES •
23 bursaries were offered and additional financial support was given to a total value of more than £25,000
•
32 Fringe Academy workshops held with a total of 382 attendees
CORPORATE
SEASONS
•
•
Development of sponsorship packages for existing and new partners
Further expansion of the International and Freedom Seasons
OUTREACH
DIGITAL
•
•
Digital development of Fringe Academy to widen access
Further development of the registration system, website and mobile app
LOUISE REAY 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: £138,007.11 Artist Registration: £114,198.27 Total Income £529,767.76
Box Office: £112,199.58 Charitable Grants: £75,000.00 Friends Scheme & Donations: £53,588.60 Public Funding: £34,409.07 Other Income: £2,365.13
Staffing Costs: £332,530.69 Marketing: £123,745.70 Box Office & Card Charges: £36,490.34 Events: £13,197.98 Arts Industry: £8,546.21
Total Expenditure £530,233.80
Office Overheads: £10,997.80 Professional Fees: £4,725.08 * The above figures are draft and unaudited
NATHAN LANG: THE STUNTMAN Photo: James Bellorini
Here at Brighton Fringe, we are immensely proud of our strong history of maintaining relationships with our sponsors and funders. 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 is a testimonial from one of our longest-standing partners, The Pebble Trust, who have been supporting us for eight years now, as well as some words from a new partner, Brighton Palace Pier, about why they are excited to be working with Brighton Fringe.
Brighton Fringe Principal Funder
“We had an amazing time at Brighton Fringe 2018 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, Thick & Tight, will choose to tour their fantastic show.” Louise Arnell, The Pebble Trust “We are delighted to be working with Brighton Fringe. The Fringe represents the spirit of the city and the Pier is looking forward to joining in this unique celebration. We are proud to support the thriving creative community that this city has to offer. Just like the Pier, The Fringe offers something for everyone and together we look forward to attracting a diverse range of visitors to Brighton from around the world.” Anne Ackord, CEO, Brighton Palace Pier
ALFIE ORDINARY
Photo: Chloe Hashemi
“THE FRINGE REFLECTS BRIGHTON ITSELF: DIVERSE, EXPERIMENTAL, FRIENDLY AND WITH A CONFIDENCE ABOUT WHAT IT IS”
FUNDERS
KEY MEDIA PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNERS
PARTNERS
SUPPORTERS
REVIEW PARTNERS
™
FRONT PAGE: THE FABULOUS BÄCKSTRÖM BROTHERS Photo: James Bellorini BACK PAGE: THE SPIEGELTENT Photo: David Smith
COMPANY & CONTACT DETAILS Brighton Fringe Ltd Pier Werks 21-22 Old Steine Brighton, BN1 1EL 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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