It's make or break for Fringe warns free show promoter

Published on Wednesday 8 July 2009 09:51

A KEY organiser of hundreds of free shows at the Fringe has insisted 2009 will be "critical" for the festival.

Peter Buckley Hill, responsible for the award-winning Free Fringe, said the recession, coupled with last year's dwindling ticket sales and box office problems, means all eyes will be on the festival and whether it can prove successful.

He said: "I think this is going to be a critical year for the Fringe. There were fewer people last year – are they coming back in 2009? If they are not, then there will be questions about the future of the Fringe, which is unimaginable."

Mr Hill founded Free Fringe in 1996, and has since brought thousands of acts to the Capital to perform in small venues, with no charge to the public.

Acts this year include Robin Ince, who has supported Ricky Gervais on his 2004 Politics tour and 2007 Fame tour, and Rick Bland, who played Jerry in Jerry Springer the Opera.

He said: "While there is nothing quite like the Fringe, there are many rival attractions now. International travel is also much easier."

With the average Fringe ticket costing around 12, Mr Hill is confident his free events will draw people to the city, as well as proving popular with locals.

For 14 years, he has spent much of his own money promoting the shows,

but this year in January a benefit concert was held in London, organised by Robin Ince and comedian Sean Lock, to ensure enough money was raised to meet the costs

Mr Hill said: "The cost of tickets has always been important, not just during the recession. Even in good economic times, the public was not happy spending 11 on a show by someone they had not heard of."

A spokeswoman for the Fringe said organisers were "cautiously optimistic" that this year's Fringe could be "amongst the best ever". She said there had been an increase in the number of shows in comparison to last year, as well as a rise in ticket sales.

This year's Fringe will offer more opportunities to see shows at reduced rates, from free events to the "Five Pound Fringe" and "Two For One Weekend".

She said: "There are 465 shows that are absolutely free, compared to 350 last year."