Incredible Unforgettable Independent Theatre

The Saskatoon Fringe Theatre Festival is one of Saskatoon’s widely celebrated summer festivals and features accessible, affordable theatre performed by independent theatre artists from around the world. Explore the incredible and unforgettable. All tickets are $14.00 or less.

The First Saskatoon Fringe

In 1989 the theatre programming expanded to include presentation activities with the first Saskatoon Fringe in our Duchess Street theatre venue. Artistic Director Tom Bentley imagined Broadway Avenue as a destination for a community theatre event and in 1990, The Fringe moved to Broadway with great success, attracting over 6,000 theatre patrons.

Fringe Fast Facts

  • The Fringe is artist-driven, and serves as a free market for theatre.
  • Each ticket carries a $2 surcharge that goes to support the Fringe . Apart from that, the theatre companies retain 100% of their ticket revenues.
  • The Saskatoon Fringe annually hosts approximately 50 theatre companies from around the world. This includes over 200 individual performers and company members.
  • The Saskatoon Fringe attracts more than 40,000 people to the outdoor activities on site and approximately 12,000 theatre patrons each year.
  • More than 795,000 people attend Fringes in North America. The Saskatoon Fringe is part of a touring circuit comprised of more than 25 distinct communities from Nova Scotia to Victoria, and Orlando to Grande Prairie.

Fringe History

  • Back in 1947 the Edinburgh Festival of Music and Drama turned away eight young theatre companies because of a lack of space. Not to be deterred, these enterprising companies successfully displayed their work around the periphery or FRINGE of the Edinburgh Festival. The Fringe had begun!
  • Edmonton started the first Canadian Fringe Festival in 1982 — Edinburgh was first, Australia second, and Canada’s own Edmonton, Alberta was the third Fringe Festival in the WORLD!
  • The first official Saskatoon Fringe Theatre Festival was in 1989.

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