YOUR NEWS – Hunger for Performance
By Chloë Abley
In a year like no other, Brighton Fringe invited audiences to escape to the seaside and they flocked: 80,000 tickets were sold for drag, comedy, family, circus, theatre and more.
Both income and ticket sales amount to approximately 46% of the Brighton Fringe 2019 figures. An estimated 170,000 people enjoyed the Brighton Fringe both online and in-person.
The largest arts festival in England, this year Brighton Fringe held 2,501 more performances than in 2019.
Plus in 2021, 630 events (170 digital and 460 in-person) materialised into 7,216 performances for Brighton audiences and those comfy at home.
More venues than ever also joined in across the city with 166 playing host to the most weird, wild and wonderful shows from around the world! The events presented represents approximately 60% of Brighton Fringe 2019 but there was still plenty to choose from with 2,523 in-person and 4,693 digital performances.
Brighton Fringe CEO Julian Caddy comments, “We are hugely grateful to all participants, venues, staff, volunteers, Friends, funders, sponsors and all our other partners for the immense hard work in making Brighton Fringe happen this year. To our audiences, a massive thanks for attending so enthusiastically and also for following the Covid safety guidance. It was such a relief to be back after so long and we can’t wait for 2022. In the meantime, I think we’ve all earned a bit of a break.”
Celebrating the success of the artists who made Brighton Fringe possible, they announced their award-winners in a special July prize-giving. Recipient of the Fringe Review Outstanding Theatre Award was Clean: The Musical while Julie Madly Deeply won the Brighton Gin Cabaret & Variety Award.
Brighton Fringe embraces every art form and artist in its exciting and unusual programme. The open-access arts festival prides itself on welcoming established and emerging artists, supporting those taking their first steps with a variety of bursaries. It offers much-loved returning acts alongside exciting newcomers with comedy, theatre, circus, exhibitions, magic, dance, children’s shows and much, much more.
www.brightonfringe.org