The Toronto Fringe Festival has long been known as a launchpad for Canada’s up-and-coming talent, offering indie artists a chance to show off on the big stage. This year is no exception for giving back to Toronto’s emerging talent. The grassroots organization returned a total of $577,500 in revenue to participating artists, the highest amount in the Toronto Fringe’s history, the festival said in a news release.
After having to scale back much of their performances in 2024 due to a lack of funding and changing audience habits, a problem also faced by other Toronto festivals, the festival is on an upward trajectory, selling more advanced tickets on the first night than they did last year over the course of six nights.
Rachel Kennedy is Toronto Fringe’s executive director and co-lead. It’s her first full year in this role since joining the organization in January 2024. Kennedy sits down with Met Radio in the aftermath of it all to reminisce and tell us how they pulled it off.