The CAFF Touring Lottery exists to help artists take their work to Fringe Festivals across North America.
The previous Touring Lottery created incredible opportunities for artists ready to undertake a long national tour. But a tour like that asks a lot: weeks away from home, significant travel costs, long distances between Festivals, and the financial and personal flexibility to commit to a major tour months in advance.
For 2027, we’ve redesigned the Touring Lottery with one big goal in mind: to create more viable touring opportunities for more artists.
What’s changed for 2027?
The redesigned Touring Lottery includes three touring opportunities: Regional Tours (NEW); National Tours (RETURNING); and Cross-National Tours (RETURNING).
Regional Tours offer shorter, more geographically focused circuits of approximately three to four Festivals. These are ideal for early-career artists looking to gain touring experience and/or artists with limited financial or personal flexibility.
National and Cross-National Tours offer longer touring opportunities. These are ideal for more experienced artists who have previously toured nationally and/or internationally and who have the financial and personal flexibility to support a more complex tour.
By creating several different touring circuits, artists can choose the opportunities that make the most sense for their production, schedule, finances, experience, and life. And, CAFF can make better use of the Lottery spaces available across participating Festivals, creating more touring opportunities and more possible entry points for artists.
By separating the tours, we are also able to provide tours to more artists. Previously CAFF was only able to support approximately 10 artists on tour. In this new model, we are able to support 20.
The CAFF touring lottery is just one way artists can participate in Fringe Festivals. Artists are welcome and encouraged to apply to individual Fringe Festivals directly if building a self-directed tour is more realistic and manageable.
How the changes for 2027 were informed
Before redesigning the Touring Lottery, CAFF invited artists to share feedback about the proposed direction through an online survey that was circulated in May of 2026.
We heard from artists from Canada, the United States, and internationally. Two-thirds had previously applied to the CAFF Touring Lottery, and many respondents had experience touring to multiple Fringe Festivals.
Artists told us they wanted more information, earlier. Among survey respondents:
- 83% wanted clear Festival dates and route information;
- 79% wanted clear participation fees and payment deadlines;
- 79% wanted earlier Lottery results to support planning and fundraising; and
- 69% wanted estimated Festival and travel costs before applying.
Artists also told us about the barriers they experience when trying to tour. Among previous Touring Lottery applicants, 84% identified travel costs as a major challenge, while 74% said it was difficult to plan without receiving Lottery results early enough.
Written feedback showed broad support for earlier results, clearer route and cost information, smaller regional options, and a simpler, more understandable process. Artists also raised important concerns about flexibility, financial risk, accessibility, recovery time between Festivals, and ensuring the model works for self-producing and early-career artists.
That feedback helped shape the model released for 2027.
How were the 2027 routes created?
The 2027 circuits were developed using artist feedback, Festival dates, travel time and distances, available Lottery spaces, Festival fees and supports, geographic connections, and the capacity of participating Festivals.
The final routes are our attempt to balance all of those realities while creating as many viable opportunities for artists as possible.
Previously, the Touring Lottery could support approximately 10 artists. In this new model, the Touring Lottery can support 20 artists at different stages of their career.
Why have the fees increased?
CAFF is a 90% volunteer run organization that supports 34 Festivals and operates the annual touring lottery. Touring fees have remained mostly static for many years, and were not in line with the actual cost of administering the lottery. The updated fees help CAFF cover the work required to coordinate the Lottery and support artists and Festivals.
The CAFF Tour still aims to provide a significant discount on application fees as opposed to applying to multiple individual Festivals. For example, a national tour allows artists to apply to five Festivals simultaneously for only a $60 administration fee, that would otherwise cost $175 or more in administration fees if applying to individual Festivals. This also allows us to ensure we can maintain low costs for equity seeking artists.
For artists selected through the Lottery, the aim is to collect Festival participation fees in full by November 1, 2027. We understand paying those fees all at once may not be financially feasible for everyone. If you need more time, please reach out. We are happy to work with artists to establish a payment plan that is manageable for you.
If you have questions about the financial realities of participating in the Touring Lottery, please complete the 2027 Touring Lottery Feedback Survey or email us at admin@fringefestivals.com.
Why only one tour per application fee?
In the previous model, an artist paid one application fee and entered one Lottery draw for one tour. That option still exists. You may choose the tour that best fits your needs, enter that one lottery, and pay one application fee.
The redesigned model gives artists more touring options to choose from. Each tour has its own Lottery draw and its own pool of applicants. If you choose to enter more than one draw, you’ll pay an application fee for each one. This is similar to the way many Fringe Festivals operate separate Lottery draws for different categories.
We understand that seeing 20 different tour options can feel overwhelming. You are not expected to apply for every tour (or even several tours!). We’ve provided detailed breakdowns of each tour option so you can compare dates, costs, Festival supports, and other considerations and choose the opportunity that best supports your production, touring goals, schedule, finances, and life.. Not every tour will work for every artist, but our hope is that the variety of tours will allow a variety of applicants to participate in the lottery. If several tour options work for you, you may select all the tours you want to be considered for and pay the applicable fees together.
As in the previous model, an artist can only be awarded one CAFF tour per season. If an artist is selected in more than one draw, you will receive one touring opportunity. The other tour selection will be redrawn. We anticipate that this will be an uncommon occurrence, as most applicants will apply for the tour that best suits their needs.
We know costs can be a barrier. If the CAFF administration fee might prevent you from applying, please reach out to us at admin@fringefestivals.com.
Why Regional Tours?
Touring can be transformative. It can also be expensive, exhausting, and difficult to fit into the rest of your life.
A shorter regional tour may mean:
- less time away from home;
- fewer travel days and lower travel costs;
- a smaller financial commitment;
- more flexibility around work, family, and caregiving responsibilities; and
- a more manageable way to build Fringe touring experience.
A Regional Tour won’t remove every barrier to touring. But for some artists, being able to commit to three Festivals instead of five may be the difference between being able to tour and not being able to tour at all.
We want to hear from you
The 2027 Touring Lottery is a significant change. We’ll be looking at what we learn from this first cycle: where artists apply, which routes work well, where challenges emerge, and the experiences of participating artists and Festivals. That feedback will help inform future Touring Lottery cycles.
Like something about the new model? Tell us.
Concerned about something? Tell us.
See a barrier or unintended consequence we haven’t considered? Please tell us.
You can complete the 2027 Touring Lottery Feedback Survey at any time. The survey specifically invites artists to tell us what they like, what concerns or challenges they see, and anything else CAFF should consider as we evaluate the new model.
You can also email us anytime at admin@fringefestivals.com.
Thank you for navigating this change with us, and for sharing your feedback.