Fringe Unconventional Venue Lottery

Applications open: January 20th 2026
Application deadline: March 3rd 2026, 5pm PST
Application fee: $30 CAD (including GST)
Lottery draw: March 6th 2026

Running in it’s fourth year, the Unconventional Venue lottery is open to off-site venues, site-specific venues, walking/moving outdoor shows, digital shows, etc. All producers must provide their own venue along with their application, and are responsible for most aspects of their venue to participate in the Fringe.

NEW: Artists can now apply with up to 2 shows at 1 venue per application. If that venue is drawn in the lottery, each show in the application must still must pay the full $370 Unconventional Venue Festival fee, but you can share the costs of rent, insurance, and staffing! Each show will also individually received their payouts at the end of the festival, and each artist contact must separately sign a participant agreement

If you are applying with 2 shows in 1 venue, you may also designate a 3rd person to be your main producing contact. However, you are not required to designate a 3rd person to be your main producing contact, and your main producing contact may also be one of the artist contacts.

Example A:
Artist 1 and Artist 2 each have a show. They want to partner up and apply with a venue they both like. Artist 1 has more experience than Artist 2, so Artist 1 is opting to be the Main Producing Contact. Artist 2 will still have to sign an Agreement with the festival as well as Artist 1. Artist 1 will be the main contact for both shows, and should have the ability to speak on behalf of both themself and Artist 2. Both artists will have to individually pay $370 to the festival.

Example B:
Artist 1 and Artist 2 each have a show. They want to partner up and apply with a venue they both like. Neither of them have the time to manage communications with the festival though, so they ask a friend of theirs, Producer 3, to act as the main contact submitting their application. Producer 3 will be the main contact for both shows and should be able to speak on behalf of Artist 1 and Artist 2. Artist 1 and Artist 2 will still have to individually sign Agreements, and will each pay $370 to the festival.

No matter how many people are on the application, EVERYONE involved will be subject to the Victoria Fringe’s policies, including it’s Safe(r) Spaces Policy and Code of Conduct.