Edmonton’s successful Fringe Festival is getting a big boost from the federal government and more cash could be on the way for other events in Alberta’s capital, including the Rexall Indy, confirmed Edmonton-Leduc MP James Rajotte.
Ottawa will kick in $400,000 to support the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, which will be used to help organizers bring in more visitors from the United States and Europe, Rajotte announced yesterday during a press conference at the TransAlta Arts Barn.
“This is about the quality of the Fringe Festival itself,” said Rajotte. “It’s a local, regional, national and international success.”
The cash for the Fringe Festival is part of the federal government’s two-year plan to spend $100 million on marquee events that draw a significant number of tourists to Canada — a move to boost tourism across the country as it’s gripped by the recession.
Ottawa chooses how much it can give to an event that is applying for the funding based on attendance, said Rajotte.
And that could mean another announcement for the Rexall Indy, which has applied for the federal funding, said Rajotte.
“I think they would certainly have a strong case for it,” said Rajotte about the Indy application.
Last year’s Indy posted a $5.3-million loss, a shortfall that was 400 per cent higher than expected by Northlands, the event’s organizer.
Meanwhile, Fringe Festival executive director Julian Mayne said the $400,000 infusion from Ottawa will help the event target its marketing through TV and print ads internationally.
“We want to get people in here to see the festival and we already have a huge component of international artists,” said Mayne.
“We want to get people to stay in hotels and travel in taxis and to fly planes here.”
