EDMONTON — North America's oldest theatre festival says it has set a record for most tickets sold in its 43-year history.
The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival says it has broken its all-time box office record set in 2019 and sold 138,500 tickets this summer.
It amounts to $1.47 million for the festival's artists, surpassing the $1.39 million in sales garnered in 2019.
The festival was set to come to an end this weekend, but is extending some shows for another week due to the turnout.
Festival organizers say the milestone confirms that Fringe is an essential part of Edmonton's cultural identity.
Alberta's capital city was the first one in Canada to host the theatre festival in 1982, drawing inspiration from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which first began in 1947.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2025.
The Canadian Press
