Take Part - Information for Entrants
We are now open for entries. Read on to find out more!
Please note we hope to go ahead in some form but coronavirus is making everything very provisional. Performers should not risk their health or that of the wider community by unsafe practices either during the Fringe or before it. See our full coronavirus statement.
In a Nutshell
- Anyone can enter the Fringe but it is up to you to find and book your venue.
- Buxton Fringe does not book or select entrants.
- The final deadline for the Fringe printed programme is now June 1 2020. Performers seeking to withdraw from the Fringe can do so at any time up to this point. The entry fee is now £50 across the board.
- Fringe 2020 runs from 1-19 July.
- There are currently 3 managed venues in the Fringe: Underground Venues, The Rotunda and The Green Man Gallery. See our venues pages for details of their entry deadlines which may be earlier than the Fringe's.
- Once you are sure of your venue, dates, show description, times and prices then you are ready to enter the Fringe using our online process.
- When you enter you pay an entry fee to the Fringe - the earlier you enter the cheaper it is, just £50 before the end of February! See calendar.
- It is up to you to arrange your publicity materials, public liability insurance, ticketing and front of house staff as well as getting copyright clearances.
- You get to keep your ticket money (special arrangements will apply at managed venues).
- We do not have a centralised ticketing system. Managed venues have their own box offices. Otherwise you may sell your own tickets or The Opera House box office can sell tickets on your behalf for a £10 set up fee per entry. The Opera House also charges you 7.5% of the face value of each ticket sold.
Why enter the Fringe?
- The Buxton Festival Fringe is one of the largest in England yet remains on a human scale. Overwhelmingly positive performer feedback in 2019 included: "Everyone is friendly and helpful; a lovely atmosphere which creates a platform to encourage you to do your best." As performer Charmian Hughes put it: "You are the friendliest fringe in the fringiverse".
- Buxton Fringe is a charity run by a committee of highly experienced volunteers who are ready to offer personal advice and provide marketing back up. See How to grow your audience.
- Thanks to the Fringe's financial supporters, entry fees are attractively low.
- Many of our entrants use it as a stepping stone to the Edinburgh Fringe thanks to its handy timing in July. The nearby Greater Manchester Fringe is also in July.
- The Fringe is open to all. Amateurs and professionals of all ages are more than welcome.
- Gain valuable publicity through our Reviews and Awards.
- Our Community Groups Link scheme offers you the chance to work with local community groups and schools.
- It's simple and fun. Performer Sam Slide commented "Fringe entry was again easy and painless with excellent regular communications from the Fringe team." Here's entrant Matt ‘Lab Monkey’ Pritchard: "Buxton Fringe is one of the highlights of my year. It is a welcoming and supportive festival without the trappings of commercialism. It is a place where creativity is encouraged and new talent fostered. There is a real sense of community between performers, audience and the Fringe committee." And Polis Loizou from The Off-Off-Off Broadway Company: "Buxton is by far the most organised and pleasant fringe experience we've encountered so far!"
What we do
- We run this website.
- We publish around 16,000 printed, full-colour Fringe Programmes and distribute them across the county and beyond including to national media.
- We provide information and advice on venues and programming.
- We have a Press team with nationwide contacts.
- We supply entrants with media lists.
- We supply entrants with an accommodation list.
- Throughout the year we promote the Fringe through social media channels as well as events such as the Christmas Party, the Programme Party, the Launch Party, Fringe Sunday, Fringe at Five and Buxton Carnival.
- As part of our Community Links scheme designed to bring the Fringe to a wider audience, we offer entrants contact details for schools, care homes and other community organisations.
- We run the Fringe Information Desk which handles information and publicity for artists and audiences during the Fringe.
- We offer a ticketing facility through the Opera House - this costs an extra £10 on your entry fee.
- We strive to recognise excellence, having an Awards ceremony on the final Sunday of the Fringe. Unfortunately events that only take place on this final Sunday cannot be considered for awards.
- We like to review each entry, usually after the first performance, and publish the reviews the next morning on the website and at the Information Desk.
