Brighton Fringe signs a UK-first deal with performers' union Equity

Brighton Fringe^1,2 and Equity, the performers’ union, have signed an agreement that both say is the first of its kind between Equity and a UK fringe festival.

The agreement sets out how the two will work together so that performers, creative teams and stage managers are protected under employment law, including access to the minimum wage, holiday pay and statutory rest breaks. Crew should be properly credited for their work. Venue operators will be helped to set out hire charges, box office splits and financial obligations clearly from the start.

Equity and the Fringe will also write anti-harassment and Safer Spaces policies together, and help venues and artists cut the festival’s environmental impact.

Milly Arnott, Equity’s organiser for the East and Southeast, said fringe artists “face some of the most precarious conditions in this sector”. She asked other fringe festivals to talk to Equity about similar deals, and added: “if you are a producer intending to participate in Brighton Fringe 2027, please get in touch to discuss using an Equity contract.”

Jonathan Maydew, the Fringe’s executive director, said: “Fringe festivals play a vital role in the UK’s arts ecology. They’re where so much new talent finds its feet and where bold new work is developed and platformed.”

Brighton Fringe is open access, so anyone can take part if they find a venue and pay the registration fee. It runs for 31 days from the first Friday in May.