New report highlights economic impact of Sydney Fringe Festival

A new impact report produced by Hawkridge Entertainment Services for the Sydney Fringe Festival - New South Wales’ largest independent arts festival - has been released which outlines the vast significance of the Festival for the city.

It found the 2022 festival generated an extremely positive economic impact of over $36 million for Sydney, and produced over 400 full time jobs. These remarkable statistics confirm the huge importance of the festival and the value independent art and creativity brings to the city.

Fringe Festivals play a key role in the social and cultural endeavour of a community. The Sydney Fringe Festival is an open festival that allows artists at any stage of their development to perform. It provides support through career pathways and development as well as extensive media coverage of the Festival for established audiences and to generate new audiences.

Further, the Festival works with venues to activate new, under-used and unused space throughout the city. The specific timing of the proposed activation in September also provides the opportunity for artists to extend the presentation of their shows into other festivals and jurisdictions increasing the importance of the initial endeavour.

Calculation of the 2022 economic impact initially utilised four key elements:

• Ticketed Visitor Gross Expenditure - outputs from the visitor survey calculated the $spent into the economy by multiplying the average spend per person by the number of tickets.

• Visiting Performer Expenditure - outputs from the post festival artist survey calculated the $ spent by visiting artists on accommodation, meals etc (does not include ticket sales)

• Organiser Expenditure - outputs from the Sydney Fringe Festival data outlined all expenditure including payments to Artists.

• Non-ticketed Visitor Gross Expenditure - outputs from the visitor survey calculated the $ spent into the economy by multiplying a figure of 50% of the average spend per person by the number of tickets which accounts for likely transportation and F&B expenditure.

The figures* from the 2019 and 2022 Sydney Fringe Festivals, outlining the spend on various elements of attendance to a performance are shown below.

Calculation of the comparative economic impact of the 2022 Sydney Fringe Festival produced the following outcomes.

Sydney Fringe Festival has also announced the program highlights for 2023. Presented across the city from 1st – 30th September 2023, this year’s Festival marks Kerri Glasscock’s 10th year as Festival Director and Chief Executive, and features a dynamic program spanning theatre, music, comedy, visual art, film, musical theatre, dance, circus, street festivals, literature and poetry, as well as a precinct takeover at Entertainment Quarter.

Glasscock shares “each year Sydney Fringe Festival has gone from strength to strength, hosting big international names and nurturing local talent. Over my ten years as Festival Director and CEO, I’ve seen Sydney Fringe Festival develop into a world-class event and I’m so proud of what our community has created. Globally recognised for our unique festival model, we’ve established game changing activations and pilot projects that have driven lasting change within the city, and this new report is evidence of the vital role Fringe and our local artists play in Sydney’s economy.

“This 2023 program is set to be better than ever, kicking off with Fringe Ignite and seeing the return of the fabulous Spiegeltent as part of our exciting precinct takeover at Entertainment Quarter. You won’t want to miss it!” 

This year, Sydney Fringe Festival presents a new playground of fun with Spiegeltent Festival Garden, at the EQ Showring in Moore Park. Bringing all the splendour and razzle-dazzle of the Big Top to the Entertainment Quarter, the Sydney Spiegeltent will pop up as home to Australia’s hottest new musical comedy The Marvellous Elephant Man the Musical. Directed by West End and Broadway legend Guy Masterson, this hilarious must-see show will make its Sydney debut after sell out seasons in Adelaide and Melbourne.  Also landing at EQ for Sydney Fringe, is the 300 seater circus dome, The Vault. Comedy-acrobats Headfirst Acrobatics will deliver their multi-5-Star reviewed show GODZ.

Sydney Fringe returns to The Rocks kicking off the program with the opening night party, Fringe Ignite on Saturday 2nd September. Showcasing tasters from the Fringe program in cobblestone laneways and sandstone buildings, audiences will experience some of Sydney’s best voices on the mainstage in the Argyle in this massive free party.  Plus the popular Sydney Fringe Sideshow returns, running Thursday-Sunday throughout the festival offering a huge line up of immersive and experiential shows performed in pop-up spaces throughout the precinct. Sydney's ultimate pop-up musical theatre club and hottest ticket in town, Lola’s Piano Bar is back.

The Festival extends to Parramatta, with a pop-up cabaret club at Riverside Theatre presenting Big Thick Energy as headliner plus a full program of cabaret, comedy and a pop-up piano bar! Rounding out the Western Sydney season Young Henrys will be bringing their iconic Best Served Loud live music series to Parramatta for the first time as part of Sydney Fringe. Get ready for a free show of live music, cheap beer and good times.

A number of Sydney Fringe Festival pop-up activations will take place around the city centre, including the return of the annual favourite Acoustic Ritual at George Place, featuring a series of free morning concerts by leading local singer-songwriters, and new for 2023, Circular Quay's newest dining and lifestyle precinct, Sydney Place, will be transformed into a visually mind-bending art block party. 

Fringe Kids is back and better than ever before, featuring a new 200 seat family friendly circus tent installed on the green in Darling Quarter that will be headlined by internationally award-winning, sell-out sensation, CIRCUS - The Show. Supported by The New Sydney Waterfront Company and Darling Quarter, Fringe Kids will see jam-packed days of fun from 18th – 30th September with a full school holiday program also taking place in the ARA Theatre.

On 30th September, the final night of the festival, audiences can immerse themselves in an explosion of Caribbean culture, as picó collective El Gran Mono takes over the city’s most eclectic eat street, Kensington Street for the official closing party. With DJs, live music and dancing all night long.

The full program for the 2023 Sydney Fringe Festival will be announced in the coming months. Please visit The Sydney Fringe website for further details and updates. 

Read the Sydney Fringe Festival Economic Impact Report here.

Images from top: Cover of Sydney Fringe Festival Economic Impact Report; Marvelous Elephent Man Credit: Paul Scott Photography; IGNITE Credit: Clare Hawley; CIRCUS The Show Credit: Mali Cohen; Caribe Carnaval