page_title: Free Fringe
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Free Fringe / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Johnny MacAulay as Nosferatu in the Man of 1000 Farces, Edinburgh Free Fringe
context_page_description: The Free Fringe is an organisation that promotes free shows during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, every August.
  Unlike most event promoters at the Fringe, the Free Fringe does not charge performers for use of performance spaces, on the condition that they do not charge an entry fee into their shows. Audience members are, however, asked to make a donation at the end of a show.
  This business model has been cited as an important development in the Fringe's culture and infrastructure, and has been credited with restoring the "idealistic spirit of the Fringe". Peter Buckley Hill was awarded the Panel Prize at the 2009 Edinburgh Comedy Awards in recognition.
  The organisation should not be confused with other promoters of free events at the Fringe, which include Laughing Horse, Just the Tonic and Bob Slayer's Heroes. Free Fringe venues are commonly independently run bars and nightclubs which create performance spaces in their premises for the duration of the Fringe.
  Predominantly the shows are comedy but the programme has expanded from its comedy roots to include theatre, science, cabaret, music and spoken word.
context_section_description: The Free Fringe was started in 1996 by comedian Peter Buckley Hill with the show "Peter Buckley Hill And Some Comedians". Buckley Hill had lost £4,000 as a performer at the 1994 Fringe. The venues used by the Free Fringe have increased since 1996 from the original Footlights and Firkin venue to (in 2015) 529 free shows on 59 stages - over 9,260 performances. 
  From 2004, Buckley Hill worked with the team behind comedy promoters Laughing Horse on promoting Free Fringe shows. However, the partnership ended in 2006. After the split, the two parties operated separate programmes under the "free" banner - Buckley Hill continuing to bill his programme the "Free Fringe", with the Laughing Horse adopting the name the Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 
  By 2009, PBH's Free Fringe had 176 shows at 19 venues, a growth of 50% in a year.
  In 2014 John Kearns won the Edinburgh Comedy Awards main prize with his Free Fringe show, having previously won Best Newcomer in the previous year.
  Buckley Hill stepped down from managing the festival in 2016.
caption: Johnny MacAulay as Nosferatu in the Man of 1000 Farces, Edinburgh Free Fringe
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