CAFF TOURING LOTTERY INFORMATION
The 2024 CAFF Touring Lottery application is now closed.
The lottery draw will take place on November 6, 2023, and the results will be posted on this web page once all festival choices have been confirmed for the selected companies.
CAFF’s BIPOC Priority Draw
The Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals recognizes that festival stages in Canada and the United States have historically been dominated by artists of European/colonial descent, and we acknowledge that a broader cultural representation of our community should be represented in Fringe Festival spaces. CAFF is committed to prioritizing and working to eliminate barriers to artists who are underrepresented on Fringe Festival stages in Canada and the United States, including (but not limited to): Indigenous Artists, Black Artists, and Artists of Colour.
As a response to current cultural inequity on festival stages, the CAFF Touring Lottery has a priority draw for Indigenous artists, Black artists, and other artists of colour with 50% of available spaces being reserved for participation by BIPOC artists, in Canadian, American, and international categories. This category will be self identified with the definitions listed below. Artists identified in this category will be selected first. Those not selected will be added to the general lottery.
Definitions – For the purpose of the CAFF Touring Lottery, the term ‘BIPOC,’ in a North American context, refers to Indigenous peoples (those whose ancestors inhabited a country or region at the time when European colonizers/settlers arrived), Black, People of Colour (racialized people). Also see the ‘Global Majority’ as defined by Rosemary Campbell-Stephens: “Global majority is a collective term that encourages those of African, Asian, Latin American, and Arab descent to recognize that together they comprise the vast majority (around 80 per cent) of people in the world. Understanding the truth that whiteness is not the global norm has the power to disrupt and reframe our conversations on race.”
Please note that CAFF recognizes that there are equity-seeking artists who face systemic barriers that are not included in this defined category. We will continually evaluate the parameters of this category to ensure it remains relevant in response to the inequities on festival stages.
CAFF Safer Spaces Policy and Codes of Conduct
CAFF has adopted policies on harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence as part of our approach and commitment to providing a festival environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. With these policies we are demonstrating our commitment to a safe and respectful environment by showing and outlining that we have an identified process to address any concerns or issues that may arise.
Please note that you are expected to always abide by these policies during your participation at any CAFF member festival and as the primary contact for your company it is your responsibility to inform any company members of these policies. You are also expected to abide by the policies and codes of conduct of your selected CAFF Member Festivals. Each festival has their own policies and reporting structures.
If CAFF receives any information regarding a CAFF Touring Lottery performing company, or any of its artists, that may impact the safety of any member festival and its many participants, these issues will be taken seriously and reviewed. CAFF reserves the right to remove any performing company or artist from all of their selected festivals at any time if it is believed that it or one of its artists may impact the safety of any CAFF member festival and its participants.
Minimum Number of Festivals
To promote more regional touring and to respond to some of the financial and time pressures associated with extended touring, in 2023 we lowered the minimum number of festivals an applicant must select from five to three. We encourage artists to provide first and second choices as not all first choices will be available this year given a reduced number of available slots. CAFF will determine your best tour based on availability of slots at each festival.
Smaller regional tours could include:
- Florida – 1) Orlando Fringe 2) Fringe Fort Myers 3) Tampa Fringe
- Northeast Tour – 1) Montreal 2) Ottawa 3) Toronto
- Ontario – 1) Ottawa, 2) Toronto 3) Hamilton 5) Kingston or Guelph 6) London
Categories
The 2024 CAFF Lottery Categories will be broken into 3 groups – Canadian, American, and International.
- Canadian: My permanent address is in Canada. While I may spend time elsewhere, I am a Canadian resident.
- American: My permanent address is in the United States. While I may spend time elsewhere, I am an American resident.
- International “My permanent address is not in Canada or the US. I am not a Canadian or US resident
Other Lottery Information
Every CAFF member festival is unique and has its own policies and procedures when it comes to a maximum ticket price, number of performances, scheduling, venue sizes etc. It is the responsibility of the applicant to fully research and understand all of the policies for each festival they plan on applying to.
The list of participating CAFF member festivals and the basic information for each can be found below or you can visit the Member Festivals directory.
Please email us at cafffringe@gmail.com for inquires and more information.