Totnes Fringe Festival Awarded £2,000 Grant to Support Digital Development and Community Outreach
Totnes Town Council has awarded a £2,000 grant to Totnes Fringe Festival to strengthen its digital capacity and expand outreach activity ahead of the 2026 Festival, taking place from 9–12 July 2026.
The allocation of funding is as follows:
- £1,000 for website development
- £400 for targeted social advertising
- £600 for community outreach activity
The Festival’s inaugural year in 2025 welcomed more than 3,000 attendees and over 5,000 new website users. Feedback highlighted the need for improved digital infrastructure to support online ticketing, site maintenance, and integration between marketing, box office and audience data systems. The grant will contribute to these developments and help ensure the Festival’s digital services are accessible and reliable for future events.
As part of the early planning process, the Festival has been working with a local computer science graduate during an initial review and scoping phase. The organisation is now seeking a commercial partner to deliver the next stage of website development.
Digital Reach and Volunteer Recruitment
The Festival is currently running targeted social advertising campaigns across Instagram and Facebook to support volunteer recruitment (closing May 2026), an artist call‑out (closing 1 March 2026), and promotion of its first 2026 fundraising event — a Drag Bingo night at the Royal Seven Stars Hotel on 1 April 2026.
To date, the Festival has received more than 70 volunteer registrations and over 110 applications from artists and performing companies. The grant from Totnes Town Council will help sustain and extend this digital engagement.
The Festival has also launched Fringe Futures, a new development programme offering two recent graduates the opportunity to perform at the Festival with mentoring support and a small bursary.
Information on volunteering, performing, and applying for Fringe Futures is available at: www.totnesfringe.uk
Community Engagement Activity
The grant includes £600 to support outreach activity with volunteers and community groups. This work aims to improve engagement among residents who were underrepresented in 2025 due to factors such as accessibility, programme relevance or perception of the event. Sessions will focus on understanding the needs of teenagers and young adults, vulnerable adults, and older residents, with the aim of shaping a festival that is welcoming and inclusive for all parts of the community.
Totnes Fringe Festival Director, Danielle McIlven, said:
“We are grateful to Totnes Town Council for this support. The funding will help us strengthen our digital systems and deepen our engagement with local residents. As a volunteer‑run, community‑focused festival, it is important to us that the event reflects the needs and interests of the whole town.”
The Totnes Fringe Festival will return from 9–12 July 2026 with an expanded programme across multiple venues, building on a first year that achieved over 80% seat occupancy and strong local involvement.