FRINGE WILL BE BACK IN 2026!
The 2024 Whangārei Fringe Festival has come to an end but will be back in 2026!
Registrations for the festival will open in June 2026.
So, get those thinking caps on and keep scrolling to see what’s invloved in becoming a Fringe Artist!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date.
Become a Fringe artist
Thinking of registering for Whangārei Fringe? Check out the info below!
-
- Have an idea
- Talk to someone and gather collaborators
- Make a show
- Find a venue
- Choose a date
- Register your event
- Perform!
- Bask in the Fringe glory
-
16th June Registrations open
21st July Fringe Venue applications close
28th July Registrations close
6th September Programme launch & tickets go on sale
27 September Festival begins and opening party
13 October 2024 Festival ends and awards ceremony
-
Free event $25+GST
Exhibition $40+GST
Koha event $55+GST
Workshop (ticket price under $30) $55+GST
Workshop (ticket price above $30) $70+GST
Ticketed event $125+GST
-
- Available for conversations, ideas and connections in the lead-up to and during Whangārei Fringe
- Iron out details with you for your event and troubleshoot/brainstorm as you prepare
- Provide you with marketing mentoring and support
- Market the festival as a whole
- Post about your show across our social media channels. The Fringe team will be tracking ticket sales across the duration of the festival. We reserve the right to promote individual events as we see fit
- Include your event in our online and physical programme
- Design, print and distribute the 2024 festival programme
- Upload your event to Eventfinda.
- Liaise with local and national media to get representation for Fringe events on radio, TV and print media
- Manage ticketing via Eventfinda
- Run a pop-up box office and liaise with Whangārei isite Visitor Centre which will also sell physical tickets
- Provide Front of House volunteers for all events at Fringe managed venues
- Support you with technical preparations and provide advice in this area
- Support you in securing appropriate permits for outdoor events
- Organise and host an awards celebration
- Offer artists upskilling and connection opportunities
- Connect visiting artists with billeting options where possible
-
- Have a great idea and jam it out with your friends
- Gather your team and create your show
- Secure a venue or apply to present at one of the Fringe-run venues
It is your responsibility to liaise with your venue and ensure that all of your performance requirements are met. The Festival happens across the city.
- Register your event!
Please note, when you register you will be required to upload 2 event images. Dimension details below.
Programme image: this image will be used in our printed programme, online calendar and on social media. Your image must be square 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio), at least 1MB, a JPEG, and there should be no text anywhere on your image.
Eventfinda image: this image will be used for the Eventfinda listing and Facebook event banner. Your image must be 1170 pixels wide by 504 pixels high, no larger than 5MB, a JPEG, and there should be no text anywhere on your image.
PLEASE ENSURE YOUR IMAGES ARE LABELED TO MATCH YOUR SHOW TITLEIt is your responsibility to obtain relevant permissions to use the image for promotional material.
- Provide the Whangārei Fringe team with marketing content. We need high-quality photos, reviews, videos, stories and any other material that will help us to help you sell your show!
- Market and publicise your show after the launch date 6pm Friday 6th September 2024
Make sure you discuss tech equipment, Front of House staff, seating arrangements, dates/times and anything else relevant to your show.
- Make a Facebook event and add Whangārei Fringe Festival and your venue as a co-host
Make sure this happens after the event goes live on Eventfinda!
- Make sure you have discussed with your venue how FOH will operate before your event. Do they have staff available to manage door sales? Do you need to provide volunteers? Do you need to provide a cash float? What else should be considered to ensure all logistics are taken care of?
- Ensure all information about your show is clear and confirmed. We run a tight ship! Once we have printed the programme we can’t make any changes!
-
The Whangārei Fringe Festival sells tickets exclusively through Eventfinda. Tickets can be purchased online, at the Fringe Box Office or at the Whangārei isite Visitor Centre. The information provided upon event registration will be loaded into our ticketing system. We will provide you with login details so that you are able to track sales and book comps. To make any changes on Eventfinda please contact the Fringe team.
Door sales are available at all events, unless tickets have sold out prior. Whangārei Fringe will set up pre-sales and bookings through Eventfinda, we will also assist with door sales and Front of House volunteers at the Fringe run venues. You will need to provide a cash float for your show if you are not using a Fringe venue.
The Whangārei Fringe Festival reserves the right to provide complimentary tickets to key sponsors, media, funders, judges and stakeholders as they see fit. Please know that our priority is to make sure artists sell as many tickets as possible and we make decisions about complimentary tickets accordingly.
You can issue as many complimentary tickets as you want to your friends and whanau. The 50c ticket fee still applies to comp tickets.
-
Whangārei Fringe markets and promotes all events that register to be part of the festival. Our print programme is our primary piece of physical marketing, supported by website content and social media. It is essential that you create a marketing plan separate to the festivals presence. Do your own marketing and publicity too, and we will support you and provide you with resources. It’s also an excellent idea to boost your own events on social media.
-
Finding the right venue can be tricky; there is a lot to think about. The first option is to BYO venue, so have a look at the local spaces in Whangārei, find a paddock, deck or lounge suitable to host your Fringey business. The second option is to apply to host your event at one of the four venues managed by us! If you need help securing a venue, get in touch! We will do our best to connect you with the right space or contact our mates yourself!
Booking your venue
- Technical set up please keep your technical set up in mind when securing a venue. Due to the high demand of space, turn over times are fast! If you are planning on applying to use one of our Fringe venues please keep in mind that your technical requirements will need to be efficient. What is your seating arrangement? What are your lighting and sound requirements? How does your stage need to be set up?
- Hire cost venues cost money! Don’t forget to consider the costs involved. Will you need to hire equipment? What professional help do you require? What is the cost to rent this space?
- FOH staff does your venue have their own staff? If not, you will need to organise your own FOH (front of house) workers. If you are having trouble with this, please get in touch and we will contact our incredible volunteers, who may be able to help.
- Availability the Whangārei Fringe Festival hosts close to 100 different events, so it pays to get organised early. It is important that you confirm show dates and times with your venue. Please note: dates and times are subject to negotiation if you are performing at one of our Fringe venues.
- Health and safety please make sure your venue has an up-to-date health and safety plan.
-
This year we have four official Fringe venues. Prices range from $75+GST – $200+GST per individual performance depending on which venue you are at. You can apply to present your event at a Fringe venue when you register. Keep in mind each venue has its own kaupapa and we use the information provided in the registration form to determine which venue will best suit your show. Please note there are more events applying for Fringe venues than we have space for, it’s good to have another option in mind when you apply. If we can’t fit you into one of our spaces, we will do our best to connect you with somewhere else.
- ONEONESIX ONEONESIX provides the main theatre venue of the festival. This venue seats up to 110. ONEONESIX prioritises theatre but may also host comedy, music and poetry.
- McLeod’s Fringe After Dark Pop-up comedy bar in the heart of the CBD. This venue will seat between 80 and 100. FAD will host stand-up, comedy and improv. This is a high turnaround venue with at least 3 shows each night.
- Cirque du Fringe Pop-up venue for circus and burlesque events. This venue is TBC and we hope will seat roughly 110.
- Octagon Theatre A more intimate black box venue in the CBD. This venue seats 50.
-
Due to a high number of registrations Whangārei Fringe won’t be able to schedule all events at our Fringe run venues. Please consider contacting other local venues to see if they might host your show. Below is a list of venues in Whangārei.
Beer and Loathing –
Whangarei Boys’ High School Auditorium
Pride HQ – Email Hanariki Mā –
Community Halls