Overview
To be a part of Melbourne Fringe Festival you must have a venue to showcase your fabulous work, this could be an established venue, an independent venue, or a digital venue.
However, securing the perfect venue can be challenging.
Where are you going to hold your event? Is it at an established venue? A pop-up space? Your own lounge room?
It’s also important to think about how big you want your venue to be – there’s no point in hiring a 150-seat theatre if you think you'll only get 20 audience members each night.
Once you’ve found a venue, how do you know if it’s the right venue for your show? If you think it is the right venue, how do you contact them, what should you say to ensure you’re booking the best place?
Well let’s start with the basics - what type of venue could host your Fringe event?
Types of Venues
- Independent Venues: There are lots of venues around Melbourne which are perfect for Fringe events. You can apply to be part of one of the many programs hosted at venues right across Melbourne. Your relationship is with the venue, from that initial meeting to booking and signing an agreement, right through to arranging bump out. Some run an expression of interest (EOI) process and have a dedicated Fringe program, others are just happy to be a straight-out hire. These venues are where the majority of the Festival happens around town.
- Festival Hub: Each year Melbourne Fringe programs and manages a variety of spaces collectively known as the Festival Hub. Housing different rooms of varying sizes, the Hub is home to many acts. In 2023 we are excited to have Trades Hall as our Festival Hub. To apply to have your event in the Festival Hub you will need to complete a separate Expression of Interest (EOI) form. EOIs for the Festival Hub will be open from Monday 1 May until 5pm Monday 15 May.
- DIY Event, BYO venue: Go your own way, do your own thing, present wherever you like. Your lounge room, a bookshop, the kebab shop, your car. Details need to be confirmed by the registration closing date.
- Digital Fringe: Create a show to be broadcast on our very own virtual venue – Digital Fringe! The Digital Fringe platform allows artists to host and ticket their work online. It can host all kinds of work, from streamed/broadcast work to one-on-one interactive art via Zoom.
Going digital? For more info on how this information applies to you, head to our Guide to Digital and Remote Art.
List of Independent Venues
There are two main ways you can search for Independent Venues
1 - 2023 Independent Venues EOIs
This page list a range of venues that are actively looking for events during Melbourne Fringe.
Use this directory to look through venues, and find out how to apply to present your event there.
2 - Eventotron Venue Finder
Eventotron has a wide range of registered Fringe venue suggestions. To search, login to Eventotron and head to your event registration.