Christchurch gets ffantastic ffringe ffestival this year. Ole!
For the first time in 15 years Christchurch will have a Fringe Festival. Although the event in 2014 will be small and
frugal the aim is to make the ffestival ffantastic in future years. Ole.
The Fab Four Collective has announced that the Christchurch fringe Fringe Festival will be from 13 October to 31
October. Roughly. Events will be in the CBD. Or anywhere else. And they may not be events, just things people can go to.
Fab Four Collective member and El Pancho, Sam Fisher says the aim is to encourage performance. “We want some of the
incredibly talented people, or their friends or family or people they know or have met, or anyone really, in
Christchurch, to create an event, exhibition, or production or gig and be part of fringe Fringe Festival 14. Sam feels
he is qualified to be part of the event as he was on the NZ Fringe Trust in Wellington once and good mates with the
previous Fringe organiser in Christchurch. “This is about fun, participation and giving it a go,” he said.
“The festival is the fringe of Fringe festivals, aspiring to be as fabulous as the successful NZ Fringe in Wellington,
and the excellent festivals in Dunedin and Auckland, but actually better in the long term,” said Sam.
"We already have one to be announced sponsor, but need more. Preferably with money," he said.
“We also want people to practise watching events and gigs in preparation for the October festival. Residents will need
to watch as many live performances as possible, stage, stand-up, concerts, whatever they can squeeze in, in preparation
for what could be a gruelling 3 weeks,” said Sam.
Performance poets, local theatre groups and comics and other entertainers have been approached or have already been in
contact and the programme will be developed during August. Programme Campeonísimoand Collective member Christy
Ballantyne says acts are being assembled, “We know of some plays, some poets and a couple of other entertainers who want
to be part of this fantastic event, and we will be announcing them as they sign up in coming weeks.
" We hope they will be Ffantastic. or at least ffunny, if they are supposed to be," she said.
The Fab Four Collective are currently investigating the most important thing for modern events: the slogan, but have
rejected Giving Christchurch an F after it failed focus group testing. Further work is planned. Increased weirdness is
promised.
The last fringe festival in Christchurch was in 1999 and was led by Tom V productions.
Ends