Dublin Fringe Festival

What Dublin Fringe Festival does

Dublin Fringe Festival is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee (CLG, registration number 253495) operating an annual performing arts festival in Dublin, Ireland, supplemented by year-round artist development programming. Founded in 1994 and operating for over 30 years, the organization runs a 16-day festival from 5-20 September annually, featuring bold, experimental work across theatre, dance, comedy, live art, music, cabaret, drag, installation, and interdisciplinary practice. The 2023 edition delivered 562 performances across 32 Dublin venues, presenting 45 world premieres, 18 Irish premieres, and 9 Dublin premieres to more than 33,000 audience members through 77 shows involving 560+ artists and 180 volunteers.

The organization's core asset is its year-round FRINGE LAB, a physical rehearsal space and programmatic platform supporting established and early-career artists with workspace, mentorship, bursaries (Break New Ground up to €3,500; Make Space for Art Fund up to €500), skill-sharing, and production assistance. FRINGE LAB serves over 10,000 artists annually through Studio 1, the Workstation private office, and equipment access. Sub-brands extend the programming surface: Weft Studio (international practitioner masterclasses), Weft Audience Club (audience development for Black and global majority audiences), FRINGE FUSE (scratch nights), Elevenses (monthly coffee mornings), and the Romilly Walton Masters Performance Residency with Centre Culturel Irlandais. Distribution runs through a self-serve online box office (Ticketsolve), a network of 32 Dublin venues, and an internal box office team.

The revenue model blends earned revenue (ticket sales with a €2 per-ticket transaction fee plus 13.5% VAT on certain events), philanthropic giving (registered charity CHY12698, charity number 20037772), and institutional public funding from Arts Council, Dublin City Council, and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Customer segments are primarily artists (established and early career), festival audiences, and donors/supporters. The organization is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors chaired by Áine Molloy and led operationally by Festival Director Bee Sparks, with a core staff of fewer than 10 people. Geographic operations are confined to Dublin City.

Name

Dublin Fringe Festival

Legal name

Dublin Fringe Festival CLG

Website

http://www.fringefest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dublin Fringe Festival is a registered Irish charity operating an annual experimental performing arts festival in Dublin and year-round artist development through FRINGE LAB, serving emerging and established artists, audiences, and donors via ticket sales, donations, and public funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Festival

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

akta.pro primary industry

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG), Training, Workshops & Certification Events (MPAGAGAJ)

Keywords

• Performing arts festival
• Artist development programs
• Rehearsal space rental
• Contemporary fringe theatre
• Live performance events

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales for festival performances across multiple venues. Transaction fee of €2 per ticket applies. VAT of 13.5% included in price for events with continuous access to drinks or food.
2. Donations and Charitable Support: Registered charity receiving donations from supporters. Tax exemption numbers provided (CHY12698). Accepts one-off donations and long-term partnerships.
3. Public Funding: Supported by Arts Council, Dublin City Council, and Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Organization has been operating for 30+ years as a registered charity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dublin Fringe Festival is an annual multi-venue performing arts festival held in Dublin each September (5-20 September), showcasing bold new work across theatre, dance, comedy, live art, music, cabaret, drag, installation and interdisciplinary practice. The organisation also operates year-round through FRINGE LAB, providing rehearsal space, mentorship, bursaries (Break New Ground up to €3,500, Make Space for Art Fund up to €500), and production support for established and early-career Irish and international artists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FRINGE LAB: Both physical rehearsal space and a platform of activities for training and learning, providing vital and in-demand workspace, skill-sharing, mentorship and supports for established and early career artists year-round. Powered by Squarespace.
• Weft Studio
• Weft Audience Club
• FRINGE FUSE
• Elevenses
• Break New Ground Bursary
• Make Space for Art Fund

Products and services

• Dublin Fringe Festival (Annual Festival) Annual multi-venue performing arts festival held in Dublin showcasing bold, boundary-pushing new work across theatre, dance, comedy, live art, music, cabaret, drag, installation, and interdisciplinary practice. Selected through open artist applications and presented across approximately 32 venues in Dublin City to public audiences.
• FRINGE LAB (Year-Round Artist Development Space) Year-round physical rehearsal space (Studio 1, Workstation private office) and platform of training activities, providing workspace, equipment access, skill-sharing, and mentorship for established and early-career artists. Has supported 10,000+ artists developing new work over 12 months.
• Break New Ground Bursary Creation bursary for live performance offering up to €3,500 to artists who have not led a project at Dublin Fringe Festival before.
• Make Space for Art Fund Fund of €5,000 supporting shows and events designed for unconventional performance spaces in Dublin.
• Romilly Walton Masters Performance Residency Residency programme in partnership with Centre Culturel Irlandais (established 2016) supporting experimental theatre and performance makers in early careers to develop work during a Paris residency and present final work at Dublin Fringe Festival.
• Weft Studio Studio programme of masterclasses presented by international practitioners in theatre, literature, photography and interdisciplinary practices, running as part of FRINGE LAB.
• Festival Ticket Sales (Box Office) Online and phone-based box office service selling tickets for festival performances across all venues, with €2 transaction fee per ticket and concession tickets available for students, senior citizens, and unwaged individuals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ artists supported annually
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Earagail Arts FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Dublin Fringe Festival partnered with Earagail Arts Festival for the first time in 2023 on a new Weft residency programme with Afro-Brazilian dancer Alessandra Azevedo to support development of her new work 'Terra' and build connections with communities across Donegal.
• Centre Culturel IronnaiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Dublin Fringe Festival partners with Centre Culturel Ironnais on the Romilly Walton Masters Performance Residency. Established in 2016 in memory of the late director, producer, scriptwriter Romilly Walton Masters. Supports experimental theatre and performance makers in early careers to develop work during residency in Paris, showcase in Paris, and present final work at Dublin Fringe Festival.
• Fishamble: The New Play CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig Ambitions partnership provides dramaturgical supports towards the development of excellent new plays from the world-renowned Fishamble: The New Play Company.
• Pan Pan TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan Pan Platform partnership connects experienced makers and producers in Pan Pan Theatre with exciting early career Dublin Fringe Festival artists.
• field:artsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDublin Fringe Festival X field:arts partnership supports emerging Creative Producers presenting shows/events in the Festival.
• SquarespacecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFRINGE LAB powered by Squarespace - strategic partnership providing resources, visibility, and support for the festival's rehearsal space and artist development programs.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe: The world's largest and original fringe festival, operating an open-application model across hundreds of venues in Edinburgh each August. Directly comparable as a multi-genre, application-driven experimental performing arts festival with a similar artist-support and venue-broker model.
• Brighton Fringe: England's largest open-access arts festival, hosting theatre, comedy, dance, and experimental work across multiple venues each May. Closely mirrors Dublin Fringe's competitive application process, multi-venue structure, and multidisciplinary scope.
• Melbourne Fringe: Australia's leading independent arts festival championing risk-taking artists across theatre, dance, live art, and cabaret. Operates an analogous open-application, multi-venue model with year-round artist development programming similar to FRINGE LAB.
• Adelaide Fringe: Australia's largest fringe festival, running hundreds of shows across multiple venues in Adelaide each February/March. Comparable in scale, application-driven selection, and multi-genre positioning (theatre, comedy, cabaret, circus, music).
• Under the Radar Festival: NYC-based annual festival presenting experimental performance work across theatre, dance, and live art from international artists. Closely aligned with Dublin Fringe's experimental, boundary-pushing curatorial mandate.
• Tiger Dublin Fringe (historical brand): Previous commercial-era brand of the same organisation (Dublin Fringe Festival). Historically operated under the Tiger brand as a direct competitor/comparable within the Irish fringe ecosystem.

Regional players

• Galway International Arts Festival: Ireland's other major multidisciplinary arts festival, based in Galway rather than Dublin. Comparable as a national Irish presenting partner/competitor for audiences, artists, and public arts funding, though with a more curated (not open-application) model.

Emerging players

• Fusebox Festival: Austin-based biennial festival focused on experimental performance, live art, and interdisciplinary practice. Comparable in curatorial emphasis on boundary-pushing work and international artist development.
• Abrons Arts Center: NYC lower-east-side presenting organisation programming experimental performance, residencies, and community-based artist development. Comparable as a year-round hub supporting boundary-pushing artists alongside festival-style programming.

Others

• Project Arts Centre: Dublin's leading multidisciplinary venue for experimental performance, and an active programming partner of Dublin Fringe (co-produces 'A Wee Boost' podcast). Relevant as a venue/ecosystem peer feeding artists into the Fringe pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/dublinfringe
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmrrnN5gd7VPZzTUGDSTHWg
• Facebookfacebook.com/dublinfringefestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/dublinfringefest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dublin Fringe Festival