We have gathered some Frequently Asked Questions to help support artists that are traveling to more than one festival to have a positive tour experience. This is not intended to replace the resources provided by the individual festivals. If you have further questions, email us at: cafffringe@gmail.com
When can I expect my box office from the festivals?
This depends on which festival you’re a part of! Every festival works individually, so be sure to first ask that question to the festival you are participating in. Most festivals have this information listed in their artist contracts/agreements so that is a great place to start.
Do all festivals offer the same support to artists?
While all CAFF festivals strive to offer similar support to all artists, each festival operates individually and the support each festival can offer touring artists may vary. The baseline of what CAFF festivals offer is: a performance slot in their festival. Beyond that, things become quite specific to the festival.
How do I find accommodations during my tour?
Some festivals offer billeting and/or affordable accommodation resources so please look for and/or ask for them! We recommend booking in advance and doing your research on the geography of the city where each festival is located. If you have questions about locations in each individual city, please reach out to the specific festival, as they’ll have the best recommendations on where the best areas are to stay.
What do I need to know if I’m an international artist touring in Canada?
TAXES- As a Fringe company, The Fringes are considered a ‘payer’ because your box office revenue will be collected and counted by each festival before it is given to you. As the ‘payer’ each festival is responsible for ensuring that the required taxes (under Paragraph 153(1)(g) of the Canadian Income Tax Act and Subsection 105(1) of the Income Tax regulations) are collected accordingly. If The Fringe does not collect this 15% tax from your ticket sales, artists are responsible for paying it themselves.
Artists may qualify for a full or partial waiver from the taxation of their revenue. The amount of the waiver depends on the level of expected income versus the amount of expense incurred in the process of bringing the show to Canada. The two waivers available in Canada:
1. R105-S – Regulation 105 Simplified Waiver Application for non-resident Artists and Athletes Earning No More than CAN$15,000 and is for artists who expect to earn less than $15,000 CAD.
2. R105 Regulation 105 Waiver and is for artists expecting to earn upwards of $15,000 CAD.
If you have any questions about taxes and tax waivers, contact the Revenue Canada office in the city where you are starting your Fringe tour. Please note that we are not tax experts. The most reliable source for this information is the Canada Revenue Agency.
Toll Free numbers: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/contact-information.html
TRAVEL PERMITS/WORK PERMITS – Depending on where you are traveling from, you may be required to obtain an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). To find out if you require an eTA: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada.html
To find out if you require a work permit: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/permit.html
What do I need if I’m an international artist touring in the US?
Please note that we are not tax experts. The most reliable source for this information is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) https://www.irs.gov.
TAXES – This depends on which festival you’re a part of and is always good t check with individual festivals to get guidance on how they report taxes. Most US based festivals will pay you as if you are a contractor and will not provide an end of year tax document to the IRS or CRA. It is your responsibility to claim all revenue to the Canada Revenue Agency (if you’re a Canadian artist who toured to the states).
WORK VISAS- It is you and/or your company’s responsibility to secure proper visas to work in the US. When you travel into the US you will have to go through US customs who will ask for the proper visa and reasoning for entering into the US. Don’t get stuck at the border without the proper work or tourist visa. It is always a good idea to check with your lawyer, festival, and company to determine the correct visa you must obtain.
There are a few different visas that you can obtain depending on your budget, size of your group, tour length, nature of your performance, and/or how long you have been performing.
1. The P-1b Visa is an entertainment visa that is the easiest visa to get. Costs can vary to obtain any visas as they differ but they can cost anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple of thousand.
2. The O-1b Visa is the most difficult to obtain as you must prove the extraordinary nature of your performance which can be subjective to the visa agents.
You can find more information here: https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-nonimmigrant-workers
Emergency Response Services for US and Canada
This is yet another thing that can differ from city to city, so check with each festival, and/or look up the numbers for each city you’re traveling to.
Canada and the US:
911- for police, fire, or medical emergencies when immediate action is required.
311 – for non-emergency municipal services
211 (US only) – Essential community services: Mental health & social services
511 (US only) – Traffic Hotline
411 (US only) – Information Assistance
Insurance
Hopefully you won’t have to use the numbers listed above, but please err on the side of caution and make sure your medical insurance or travel medical insurance is set.
Where can I find help?
If you need help, ask! Reach out to the representative for the festival you are performing in; they are your first point of contact and will be able to assist you. If something happens that goes beyond one festival, the CAFF Touring Artist Committee (TAC) is here to help. This committee is made up of members of the Individual festivals in CAFF, oversees the CAFF touring artist lottery and offers support to CAFF touring artists throughout their tour. You can reach the TAC committee by emailing: cafffringe@gmail.com
Hot Tips for Planning a Successful Tour
Be prepared for each festival to be a little different
While each festival on your tour is part of CAFF, each festival operates differently and there are some things that differ from festival to festival. This could include policies, payout periods, artist passes etc. Make sure you familiarize yourself beforehand with the policies for each festival and read thoroughly all their communications on your tour so you aren’t surprised at the moment. Ask all the questions.
Culture of Kindness
Be kind, courteous and respectful to everyone.This includes festival staff, patrons and other artists. Each Festival has a code of conduct that must be followed by all staff and artists.
Take care of yourself
We know touring can be exciting but also stressful and exhausting sometimes. Make sure you are hydrating, sleeping and fueling yourself throughout your tour. Plan days off for yourself. We know it can be tempting to always be working on your show and engaging in all the activities, but tours can be long. Be kind and give yourself rest days.
Budget
Some cities will be much more expensive than others. Some festivals offer billets, some do not. The cost will vary from festival to festival, so do your research and plan ahead. If you are relying on payout from festivals along the way, make sure you have accurately planned for the payout periods and/or asked for exceptions (ie: earlier payout) if needed. Please note: not all festivals can make the accommodation for an earlier payout and are not obligated to, but it is always okay to ask!
If something goes wrong during your tour/Caff Reporting Processes
Sometimes not everything goes to plan throughout your tour. If you have a matter pertaining to a specific festival, you are encouraged to reach out to that festival first to address it. If the issue isn’t able to be resolved, or if it is not feasible to approach the specific festival, please proceed to reporting through the Ombudsman Process. Start by emailing: cafffringe@gmail.com.