The month-long festival, which is made possible through Western Australian government funding of $1.3 million, has been described by Minister for Culture and the Arts, David Templeman as being the biggest and best yet. He added:
"Last year more than 3,500 artists performed at FRINGE WORLD Festival, 74% of which were local Western Australian artists - this just goes to show the depth of talent in WA.”
He said funding for the major event, which was launched at Northbridge’s Ice Cream Factory, has been made possible through Tourism WA, Lotterywest, Cultural and Sport Industries and the Department of Local Government.
The Fringe World Festival is run by Artrage, which has received in excess of $8.7 million from Lotterywest since 1994. Such major events are usually widely advertised via flyer printing throughout the state as well as through online campaigns.
This year, the festival is staging 700 events at an estimated 150 venues throughout the metropolitan area of Perth and will also visit regional areas including Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Merredin, Katanning, Margaret River and Mandurah.
Ticketed and free events last year attracted attendances surpassing 850,000 and as well as $12 million in ticket sales. The Fringe World Festival will run until February 16.