Choose your 2027 Fringe tour with CAFF!
The CAFF Touring Lottery offers artists the opportunity to secure a complete multi-Festival Fringe tour through one centralized application process.
For 2027, artists can choose from a series of pre-designed Regional, National, and Cross-National Tours, with Festival dates, routes, participation fees, travel information, and artist supports available before you apply.
Each tour is its own lottery, with one artist or company selected for each tour.
While you may apply for more than one tour lottery, there is a fee per tour you select in your application. You may only participate in one CAFF tour per festival season.
Important Dates
| Lottery Information Published: | September 1, 2026 |
| Applications Open: | September 7, 2026 |
| Applications Close: | September 28, 2026 |
| Lottery Draw: | October 5, 2026 |
| Successful artists notified | October 6-12, 2026 |
| Tour contracts signed: | Within 1 week of receiving |
| Festival Tour Fees due: | November 1, 2026 |
How will the CAFF Touring Lottery work this year?
CAFF will offer a combination of Regional, National, and Cross-National Tours for the 2027 Festival season.
Each tour listing will include:
- participating Festivals and dates
- route and travel sequence
- total estimated Festival participation fees
- maximum eligible show length
- travel distances and approximate travel times between stops
- estimated flight costs where flying is practical or necessary
- billeting availability and other artist supports
- important information specific to that tour
Application Fees
Regional Tours: $45 CAD per tour
National and Cross-National Tours: $60 CAD per tour
All Touring Lottery application fees are charged in Canadian dollars and are non-refundable.
Equity-Seeking Reduced Application Fee
In order to reduce barriers to artists and uphold our commitment to access, CAFF is offering an Equity-Seeking Reduced Application Fee option for all artists who self-identify as members of equity-seeking or marginalized groups who face financial barriers. Any self-identifying artist may choose to pay the Equity-Seeking Reduced Application Fee without prior approval. For the purposes of this application, equity-seeking may refer to, but is not limited to, Indigenous, Black, person of colour, queer, trans, non-binary, Two Spirit, living with a disability, D/deaf or H/hard of hearing, blind or low vision, cultural or religious marginalized group.
Reduced Fee, Regional Tours: $36 CAD per tour
Reduced Fee, National and Cross-National Tours: $48 CAD per tour
Individual Festivals may or may not offer reduced participation fees for equity-seeking artists. Please refer to the details listed for each Festival tour when applying.
Who is eligible for the CAFF Touring Lottery?
For every Touring Lottery tour, artists must:
- present the same production throughout the complete CAFF tour
- meet the maximum show length for the tour
- be available for all Festival dates included in the tour
Some eligibility depends on the type of tour you are applying for. Click below to find out if you’re eligible.
To enter a Regional Touring Lottery, you must have previously participated in at least one Fringe Festival.
Experience participating in or touring to more than one Fringe Festival is strongly recommended, but not required.
National Tours are intended for artists with demonstrated Fringe touring experience.
To enter a National Touring Lottery, you must have previously participated in at least three Fringe Festivals within a single Festival season.
If you have not participated in three Fringe Festivals in one season but believe you have comparable professional touring experience that has prepared you for a National or Cross-National Tour, before applying, please contact Sheiny at admin@fringefestivals.com by September 23, 2026 to discuss your eligibility.
Cross-National Tours are intended for artists with demonstrated Fringe touring experience.
To enter a National or Cross-National Touring Lottery, you must have previously participated in at least three Fringe Festivals within a single Festival season.
If you have not participated in three Fringe Festivals in one season but believe you have comparable professional touring experience that has prepared you for a Cross-National Tour, before applying, please contact Sheiny at admin@fringefestivals.com by September 23, 2026 to discuss your eligibility.
When entering a Cross-National Touring Lottery as an international artist, experience crossing multiple borders during a tour is strongly recommended. All Artists considering a Cross-National Tour should research the applicable requirements before entering the Lottery and allow enough time to complete any necessary processes.
How does the CAFF Tour Lottery Work?
1. Choose your tour
Review the available tours and decide which lottery you want to enter.
Each tour is a separate lottery with its own application fee. For your convenience, you only have to complete one application form, all tour options will be listed.
You may enter as many different Touring Lotteries as you wish, but you may only enter each individual lottery once.
Before entering, make sure the entire tour works for your production, availability, and budget.
2. Rank your choices
If you enter more than one Touring Lottery, you will rank the tours you have entered in order of preference.
Each artist or company can win one CAFF Touring Lottery tour only.
In the application form, you will be asked to rank your preferences if you enter more than one lottery. CAFF cannot guarantee your first choice, however the rankings will help determine which tour takes priority in the event you are drawn in more than one lottery.
3. Submit your application
Applications and all applicable Touring Lottery application fees must be submitted by the application deadline, September 28, 2026.
4. The draw
The Lottery draw will take place on October 5, 2026.
One eligible artist or company will be selected for each tour. The tour must be accepted in full, and single stops cannot be dropped. Successful artists will receive their tour contract within one week of the draw, and full festival payment will be due within one week of signing the contract.
Important Things to Know About your CAFF Tour
Budgeting
When applying for and budgeting a tour, remember to budget for things like:
– Festival participation fees
– flights, fuel, baggage and other transportation
– accommodation when billeting is not available
– local transportation
– insurance
– production and technical expenses
– marketing
– visas, work permits, and other cross-border requirements where applicable
Travel costs provided by CAFF are estimates only. Actual costs will vary depending on booking dates, departure locations, travel choices, and availability.
Your tour is a complete package
Build a bigger Fringe season
Plan ahead for your tour
Each CAFF Touring Lottery tour must be accepted in full.
By entering a lottery, you are confirming that you are prepared to participate in every Festival included in that tour if selected.
Individual Festivals cannot be dropped from a tour. If you withdraw from one Festival, you withdraw from the entire tour, and the complete tour will be offered to the next eligible artist or company on the waitlist.
Please review the full schedule, fees, travel requirements, and Festival information carefully before applying.
Your CAFF tour does not have to be your entire 2027 Fringe season!
You are welcome to apply independently to additional Fringe Festivals before, after, or between your CAFF tour dates.
Any additional Festival participation is separate from the CAFF Touring Lottery. You are responsible for:
– applying directly to those festivals
– making sure the dates work with your CAFF tour (no date overlap!)
– paying any additional application and participation fees
– arranging your own travel and accommodation
– managing any scheduling or logistical conflicts
Touring is an adventure, but it is also a significant financial and logistical commitment. We want you to have as much information as possible before deciding which tours are right for you.
Each tour listing will provide information to help you plan, including Festival fees, travel distances, estimated airfare where relevant, billeting availability, and other artist supports.
Questions?
Additional questions about the CAFF Touring Lottery can be sent to:
Sheiny at admin@fringefestivals.com
Questions about the venue, programming, accessibility, or artist services of an individual Festival should be directed to that Festival.