News

Today, Friday 11 August, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere, Adelaide Fringe, agreeing to collaborate for the benefit of artists and the international arts community.

The MOU comes from a collective belief that both festivals share common objectives and that, by working together, we can positively influence the development of artists and their career trajectory, and that of festival workers, to the benefit of festivals internationally.  

Both Adelaide Fringe and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe are major tourist attractions in our respective regions, for local, national and international travellers, and we recognise the benefits of working collaboratively in the development of skills for festival workers, as well as the opportunities that festivals create for artists, via industry programmes, in securing future bookings for their work. 

We will promote each another's festival to artists while growing the audience-facing and industry-facing opportunities for them. We're also both committed to the development of our staff, and look to implement an exchange programme between the two festivals.  

Director and CEO of Adelaide Fringe, Heather Croall, said: "The establishment of this MOU is a momentous occurrence in the festival world. Fringe festivals are incubators for live performance and a testing ground for fresh ideas and new works, I’m sure the outcomes of this arrangement will ripple positively for artists and industry across the globe.”  

Chief Executive of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Shona McCarthy, said: “Today is an exciting moment as we formalise a collective ambition to support each other across a range of areas. Our relationship with the Adelaide Fringe has developed over the last decade into a supportive and collaborative partnership, where we learn from each other and share our mutual challenges and opportunities. The signing of the MOU is just the beginning of what we know will be an extremely rewarding partnership for everyone involved in the festivals.” 

The MOU was also signed by the South Australian Minister for Arts, Andrea Micheals MP, and Scotland’s Culture Secretary Angus Robertson. 

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The Edinburgh Fringe is an inspiration to many festivals around the world and this formal agreement between the Edinburgh Fringe Society and the Adelaide Fringe is a fantastic initiative that will bring many benefits to both organisations. 

“In particular the opportunity to share knowledge and skills, grow new audiences and provide platforms for performers will help the business development of both festivals.” 

South Australian Minister for Arts, Andrea Micheals, said: “This MOU brings together the wealth of talent, experience and creative ideas that exists in both Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe festivals.

“It represents the two largest festivals in the world joining forces to harness that extraordinary skill and create exciting opportunities for artists and arts workers to work at these two internationally renowned festivals and beyond.

“Adelaide is one of the world’s greatest festival cities and this partnership with the Edinburgh Festival cements our international reputation as the arts capital of Australia.”