About Fringe
The biggest platform for emerging, independent and experimental artists in the NT, Darwin Fringe is your 10 day community arts Festival with bite.
Our Vision
A supportive, diverse, and exciting local arts sector with multiple opportunities for artistic growth, attracting local and national interest.
Our Mission
The Darwin Fringe is a hybrid open-access festival that supports the development of the arts community, providing opportunities for all artists to emerge, experiment, and showcase new and diverse works in Gulumoerrgin (*Darwin and surrounds in Larrakia language) to local and national audiences.
2025 Dates
July Friday 11th – July Sunday 20th
The Board
Chair: Zoe Scrogings
Vice Chair: Kat Byron
Treasurer: Gina Machado
Public Officer: Kat Byron
Secretary: Hannah Illingworth
Member: Claire McNamara
Member: Heather Docker
Brief history
The Darwin Fringe has been a part of the Darwin creative eco system since the 80’s when it was a club space within the Bougainvillea Festival. Over the years it twisted to the needs of the community around it even having a life as the Fridge Festival in the early 2000’s. After speaking with the community in 2014, a group of emerging artists lead by CJ Fraser-Bell decided to reinvigorate the platform. They noticed a dire need for open access professional opportunities for creatives developing works and their career. The Territory climate, whilst rich in culture, had very little space available to minimise the leap between the first and final stages of an artistic career.
Enter Darwin Fringe, stage right. By 2014, they had a program, a crocodile, a team and just over 20 events. Things just kept getting better and better as the community came on board. 2016 saw 80 individual performances from 50+ shows, which by 2019 had grown to 180 performances from 100 shows. After 5 strong years of giving sweat, blood and glitter, Cj Fraser-Bell moved onto their next career journey leaving Hannah Illingworth and Tamara Howie to steer the ship. It was then, at the end of 2019 that Tamara moved onto greener more German pastures (she moved to Berlin) leaving Hannah to carry on.
In 2020 the program was cancelled only weeks after offers were sent out (due to the Pandemic). Despite this the team still managed to present 10 days of workshops in July as the city came out of our first round of restrictions in early June. In 2021 the Fringe team presented ‘From the Fringes’ in February, an artist development program. Unfortunately the regular July program for this year was cancelled after the local community went into lockdown due to COVID19. Only 4 days before opening night. After this devastating cancellation, thanks to community support, the Fringe team was then able to present a smaller more intimate festival called Fringe 2.0 over 3 days in late October.
Nowadays, the Darwin Fringe has become the biggest independent arts platform in the Top End offering audiences 10 days of unique low-cost experiences in July.
Team
Hannah Illingworth
Hannah has been working in and around community arts for 10+ years now and couldn’t see herself anywhere else. She has held roles as both a facilitator in visual arts such as drawing, painting and spray painting as well as a project coordinator and event producer across an array of art forms. When the opportunity arises she enjoys painting murals and also works with various youth organisations. Her skill set includes graphic design, project management, artist liaison, event production, admin and business comms, graphic design, social media marketing and staff scheduling.
In her spare time Hannah skates, takes nudes and paints on things. Her key passions are seeing people feel empowered to try new things and explore their potential.
featured image thanks to Flowpyre Photography
Jo Shearn
Jo has been working in administration for over 14 years. In 2019 she made the move into Arts from the agriculture industry and hasn’t looked back.
She has a double degree in Arts/Strategic Studies and in 2019 completed a Graduate Certificate in Project Management with RMIT.
Jo has worked for a number of local festivals and arts organisations including Tracks Dance Company, Brown’s Mart Arts, and the Darwin Street Art Festival, as well as her role with the Darwin Fringe she also works part time at Proper Creative as Project Coordinator and is the Festival Producer for the Darwin Street Art Festival.
This is her third year working with the Darwin Fringe Festival.