Fringe’s £500k boost to Buxton economy

And figures show that the popularity of Buxton’s Festival Fringe is increasing, with July’s event reaching more people than ever before.

One of the largest open-access arts festivals in the country, the Buxton Fringe runs alongside the town’s international opera festival, with free events proving a big attraction.

Among the success stories in 2013 were the big outdoor events in the Pavilion Gardens such as Fringe Sunday and the Food and Drink Fair, plus the concerts on the Pump Room roof.

And the free Visual Arts events, such as the Dome Art Fair and exhibitions at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery and the Green Man Gallery, also helped drive estimated total audience figures up to over 27,000, an increase of 11 per cent compared to last year.

Fringe Chair Stephanie Billen said: “Free events are very important to us and it is great to see the Fringe reaching the wider Buxton public through the big outdoor occasions as well as the myriad events taking place all over the town and our thriving Community Links programme.”

The total spend in the Buxton area by Fringe audiences and performers contributed over half a million pounds to the local economy.