The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF) have announced that the 2016 Fringe World Congress will take place in Montreal, hosted by the Festival St-Ambroise Fringe de Montreal, in November of 2016.
The Fringe World Congress is the only formal gathering of international Fringe representatives and brings together directors and organisers of Fringes from across the globe to share ideas and form lasting networks.
The announcement was made today by Kath M Mainland, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and David Jordan, the President of Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals.
The first ever meeting of the Fringe World Congress was held in Edinburgh in 2012 and was attended by 74 delegates representing 47 fringes from 16 countries across six continents. In 2014 the Congress formed part of the Culture 2014 Programme which accompanied the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It hosted 56 delegates from 38 Fringe festivals, with 12 people engaging via live streaming from Australia, the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand and Argentina. The 2016 Fringe World Congress will also be live-streamed for those who are unable to attend in person.
Kath M Mainland Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said:
“We’re absolutely delighted to announce that the 2016 Fringe World Congress will take place in Montreal next year. Edinburgh is a beautiful and inspiring festival city and it seems only fitting that Montreal – an equally stunning and vibrant festival city is playing host to the next Fringe World Congress.
“The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s oldest and largest arts festival, and a truly international Festival. Every August hundreds of thousands of performers and audience members travel from across the world to experience it. The Fringe is also the most significant international platform and launch pad for artists and companies, allowing them to raise their profiles infront of influential contacts in the arts industry and the media from the UK and abroad.”
“Since the first Fringe World Congress in 2012, the Congress has firmly established itself as a key event for Fringe organisers, allowing them to converse and collaborate about their respective festival operations.
“The Fringe World Congress strengthens the world Fringe community and fosters international teamwork. It allows relationships to form, ideas to grow and experiences to be shared. It gives us a unique opportunity to identify how we can work together, and support and improve Fringes across the world.”
David Jordan the President of Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals added:
“The 2016 Fringe World Congress promises to be a lively and inspiring event against the beautiful and historical backdrop of the city of Montreal. The Festival St-Ambroise Fringe de Montreal is such a vibrant and diverse festival – I can’t think of a better place to host the Congress in 2016.
“We’ve learned the huge value of the Fringe World Congress from its birth in 2012 and the second Congress in 2014 – both of which took place in Edinburgh. This kind of collaboration benefits all involved in Fringes across the world – from the participants and the audiences, to the staff and the local communities.
“I’m looking forward to welcoming our international Fringe colleagues to Canada in 2016 and to continue to strengthen the world fringe community and raise awareness of the scale and importance of Fringe activity on the world stage.”