ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY For over a decade, we have been building a community gathering space at the Hub by programming a great Club Fringe events on key nights. Over the past few years we’ve opened the door and invited Fringe artists to run their own Club Fringe events as part of the Festival (with some funding assistance from us of course!). From electrifying parties to groundbreaking performances, these unforgettable late-night events have brought the Festival Hub to life.
Now, we’re on the lookout for even more wildly original and avant-garde ideas for 2025. Whether it’s a high-concept art party, or a slick dance-floor filling event, we want to hear from you!
We can’t wait to see what $3k ideas you’ve got up your sleeves.
KEY INFORMATION
Funding details
If successful, you will receive:
- $3,000 cash from the Fringe Fund to produce, present and market your Club Fringe event; and
- Free venue hire in Common Rooms, inclusive of a single lighting and sound technician, front of house staff, security, ticketing, and bar; and
- 100% of ticket profits from the 100 tickets available for pre-sale, and any door sales that occur on the night. Please note, passholders (and guests) receive free entry but must pay if they want to pre-book. Fringe may paper events (on the day) if pre-sales are low, and all entry after midnight is free; and
- Promotion as part of the Club Fringe program; and
- An additional budget to assist with audience access services.
Not included in the funding offer (i.e. there is no additional funding, you will need to budget the following items as part of your $3k / project budget):
- Your Melbourne Fringe Festival participation fees, insurance and any other costs associated with producing your event; and
- Marketing and promotion costs needed to supplement the Melbourne Fringe promotional activities; and
- All other presentation costs such as artist fees, support staff, stage management, and additional technical staff beyond the room technician (e.g. if you need AV or a specialised audio engineer), etc.
Eligibility
This opportunity is for artists based in Victoria.
It must be a new Club Fringe idea that will be premiered during the 2025 Festival.
The event must take place from 10pm till late, with draft programming having these commissions programmed for Friday 3rd October, Saturday 4th October, Sunday 5th October, Saturday 11th October, Sunday 12th October, and Saturday 18th October.
How to apply: Please click on THIS LINK to access the application form.
Applications close 18 May 2025.
If using Airtable isn’t accessible for you, please get in touch so we can better understand how to best accommodate your access needs. We can accept applications submitted as text documents, video or audio files and are also happy to work with you on other accessible application processes. Please email both olly@melbournefringe.com.au and milly@melbournefringe.com.au to start a conversation.
You can find more details on the application process and format below.
APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS
We endeavour to make the application process easy and quick. You will be asked 6 required questions and 2 optional questions about yourself, your past work, and your idea. Successful applicants will be contacted by email to discuss their programming needs and proceed to event registration.
In selecting the successful project(s) we will consider the following criteria:
- Concept: does your project put forward exciting ideas and creative thinking? Is it something new that we might not have funded before? Does it add something unique and exciting to what is currently being presented in Melbourne? We’re not just looking for a great party night—Melbourne has plenty of those throughout the year—we’re looking for something unique that is specific to the Club Fringe program of events.
- Capacity: do you have the skills and the team to present what you want to achieve? Will you be able to deliver a high-quality outcome for your project? Are you aiming for best practice accessibility and inclusivity? Do you have an existing audience that will be keen to attend?
To start your application and look at the questions, please click here to go to the EOI Form.
Some Tips
Please make sure you have a read of the Club Fringe Programming Manifesto in Appendix 2 (at the end of this document) to understand how we make our programming decisions, but in addition to the general guidance, here’s some specific guidance on what sort of events we’re likely to program on different nights:
- Our opening Friday 3rd Oct and Saturday 4th Oct nights will always be programmed with killer concepts with a strong general appeal – ideas that will kick off Fringe with a bang, and have an easy marketable pitch. These events will be Parties with a capital P! They will still be unique and art-driven though, with roving performances or carefully curated stage programming that engages the audience without drawing away from the dancefloor fun.
- The first Sunday 5th Oct is going to be an artist-focused night for all the Fringe participants to let loose. This is the night where a lot of the “Club Fringe Manifesto” guidelines are the most flexible, and we’ve often been able to program more ‘performance heavy’ concepts on a Sunday.
- The middle Saturday 11th Oct is our chance to take a risk on some kind of beautiful and super high-concept party. This is the most popular weekend, and historically is where the weird and wonderful overly arty events live. If you’ve been to a Huxley’s Club Fringe night, chances are it was on the middle Saturday.
- The middle Sunday 12th Oct is a very specific brief: we are looking for a lower sensory club event for our neurodivergent community. Come at us with some ideas! Something that creates a party space just as successfully as our other nights, but in context that is welcoming to folks who experience sensory overload in more common club environments.
- The final Saturday 18th Oct is a big one: because so many of our artists are planning a big night for our closing party on the Sunday, we want to make sure we’re programming someone on the final Saturday that can stimulate a really strong audience from the general public or through their own existing audiences.
We are open to pitches outside of these formats, but following these guidelines will help your application meet our assessment criteria more directly.
Video or Audio Applications
We expect most applications to be submitted in writing using the EOI form. However, we are also accepting applications submitted as a video or audio file. If you submit a video or audio application, you will still need to fill out some of the applicant details in the form linked to above. But you will submit your answers to all assessable questions by uploading a video or audio file. If your video is in another language, such as Auslan, you are welcome to suggest a preferred interpreter for us to engage.
Please note, this option to submit by video or audio is not about creating something with high production values. It is an option provided for access purposes. The following formats will be accepted: MP4, MOV, WMV, AVI, MKV, M4A, MP3, WAV or AAC. You may submit a single file for each of the questions, or one file per question. If you submit multiple files, please ensure each file is clearly named. The Dropbox link to submit your file(s) is in the EOI form linked above.
Applications in Other Formats
If the Airtable form is not accessible for you, or if there is another way you would prefer to submit an application, please get in touch to let us know. You can call our office or email Milly Cooper at milly@melbournefringe.com.au. Please let us know how you would prefer to submit your answers to the questions. We are open to your ideas around process. However, we cannot change the timeframes unfortunately – you’ll still need to get your proposal in by 18 May 2025.
Questions you will be asked
Whether you are providing written answers on the EOI form or submitted them by video or audio response, you will need to provide us with answers to the following questions:
- How would you describe your idea? How would you describe the audience’s experience at your event – from arrival to when the lights go on at the end of the night? Please provide a practical description of what your idea is (e.g. tell us about the working title, format, style). (1,850 character limit – approximately 300 words)
- Who are you planning to work with? Please tell us about your team. What DJs and performers you will be working with? Please indicate whether these people are confirmed or proposed (1,500 character limit – approximately 250 words)
- What is your previous experience? What have you and your team done in the past? We want to know about your past work, your skills, your inspirations, and what is most important to you in creating art. (1,500 character limit – approximately 250 words)
- What do you think is exciting about your idea and why is it suited to Club Fringe specifically? How is your event unique or different to a normal party? How will this particular event appeal to a broad audience? (2,000 character limit – approximately 350 words)
- How would you use these funds to program and market a successful Club Fringe event? Please give us a top-level breakdown of how you plan to make your Club night come to life with the $3,000 funding. We want to know you’re accounted for all elements of artist fees, crew, marketing, and any special elements like costume, props or equipment needed. (1,500 character limit – approximately 250 words)
- What night(s) will you be able to put on your Club Fringe event? Select all that apply out of the following: Friday 3rd October, Saturday 4th October, Sunday 5th October, Saturday 11th October, Sunday 12th October, Saturday 18th October.
- Anything else you want to tell us? (optional) This is a chance to mention anything you think is important that these questions haven’t asked you. (1,500 character limit – approximately 250 words)
- Do you have any access requirements for us to be aware of at this stage? (optional)(1,500 character limit – approximately 250 words)
Each answer will be limited to 250-300 words if written (two to two-and-a-half minutes if video or audio). The best answers will be honest and engage with the heart of your work; the less good answers will be drafted by ChatGPT and will be well-written but quite generic in content and lacking in your personality!
QUESTIONS OR ENQUIRIES
If you want to discuss other ways to submit your application or have questions about this info pack, please contact us. Send your email to Olly Lawrence at olly@melbournefringe.com.au. Alternatively, you may phone our office: Melbourne Fringe on (03) 9660 9600 and ask to speak to Olly.
If you would like to discuss access provisions at Melbourne Fringe more broadly, or would like to discuss how Melbourne Fringe holds safe cultural spaces for Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent artists please email our Access Advisor, Carly Findlay: carly@melbournefringe.com.au or call our office on a Monday or Tuesday and ask for Carly.
SUBMISSION DUE DATE
Applications close at 11.59pm on Sunday, 18th May, 2025.
And just so you don’t need to go looking for it, here is the link to the application form again:
https://airtable.com/app4kI2dwKr2Wg8zg/pagsexJqceXHswy7K/form
For more information click here
