Ticketing Basics

This guide is all about helping you understand how to make the most of your ticketing strategy at Adelaide Fringe. Getting your ticketing sorted early can seriously boost your revenue and set you up for a smoother festival experience. Many of these Fringe ticketing options can be arranged well in advance, so when showtime rolls around, you can focus on what you do best... performing and soaking up the Fringe atmosphere!

Contents

• How to Get in Touch with Adelaide Fringe Ticketing Team
• Ticket Reports
• Ticket Price Types
• Example Pricing Structure
• Average Full Price 2018-2024 and Average Price per Genre
• Fees and Charges
• Complimentary Tickets
• Promo Codes
• You Own Your Tickets
• Ticketing Law - Live Performance Australia Guidelines
• Boost Your Quieter Nights
• What Else Can You Do?
• Summary
• Additional Resources

How to Get in Touch with Adelaide Fringe Ticketing Team

You can reach the Ticketing hotline on (08) 8100 2012 or send an email to ticketing@adelaidefringe.com.au.

Ticket Reports

Want to keep an eye on your ticket sales? Manage My Tix is your go-to spot for all your ticketing reports. You can find it here, and there's a handy step-by-step guide to reports available here.

Ticket Price Types

The first thing to do is pick which price types you'd like to offer for each of your performances. There are quite a few, so don't feel like you have to use them all. Keeping it simple and clear for customers to understand what they're paying for is often best.

• Full Price (FP): This is your main price point and might be the only price you need. Set this price for what you want an adult to pay.
• Concession (CO) Health Care Card, Student, Seniors Card: Concession pricing is available on many performances for full time students, Health Care Card holders, Seniors Card holders, and kids aged 13-17. Just bring a valid ID to the venue. Concession tickets are only valid when accompanied by appropriate identification.
• Preview (Prev): A preview price can be applied to your first one to three performances and is cheaper than the full price. Previews allow artists to identify issues and opportunities for improvement before media reviews. We suggest pricing your preview tickets at the same rate, or less than, your concession tickets. If preview pricing is chosen, this is a flat rate per ticket, and only this one price type is available.
• Child: If selected, this should be less than your concession ticket. Child tickets are for shows suitable for children under 12. This ticket type is for a child who will occupy their own seat. A Babe in Arms policy applies to children under 2 years old who don't need a ticket, provided they sit on the lap of the ticket buyer. Some niche children's events may require an infant (aged 2 years or younger) to have a ticket and this should be reflected in both the ticketing and event information for patrons.
• Family (F): For family-friendly events, you can add a family price to allow entry for either two adults and two children or one adult and three children at a discounted rate. The ticket amount entered must be the combined total price for all four tickets.
• Group 6+ (Gr 6+): This offers a discount for groups booking six or more tickets in one transaction. Set the price lower than the normal full price ticket to encourage larger bookings. Enter it into AVR as the single ticket price only.
• Early Bird (EB): Early bird is designed to encourage early ticket sales. These tickets will be on sale for seven days only from when the full programme launches, offering your audience a 30% discount for a limited time. You control how many discounted tickets are available and can opt-in by selecting this new ticket type during registration. The offer is limited to two tickets per buyer, per show.
• Cheap Tuedsday (NEW): A festival-wide campaign built around the quietest night of the week. Cheap Tuesday tickets are 30% off your Full Price and are only available on Tuesday sessions. You control how many discounted tickets you release, and Adelaide Fringe promotes participating events each week. More on Cheap Tuesday
• Fringe Membership (FM): With over 8,000 Fringe Members, Fringe Member priced tickets are a great way to get extra bums on seats. You have the option to offer all Fringe Members 2-for-1 full price tickets. For customers, this offer is limited to two tickets per event, per Fringe Member.
• BankSA | Westpac Cardholder: 25% off Full Price Tickets for BankSA and Westpac cardholders, backed by a dedicated BankSA | Westpac campaign that speaks directly to their cardholders and drives new audiences to Fringe. Capped at 2 tickets per cardholder per event, with you deciding which performances to add it to and how many. Adding this price type gives your show extra exposure through a major joint campaign, at no cost to you beyond the ticket discount itself.
• VIP: VIP tickets can be added to your ticketing strategy to set a higher price point and offer additional benefits or experiences for ticket buyers (such as priority queuing or reserved seating in the best spots, managed by the presenter and venue).
• Companion Card: The Companion Card scheme is a national programme where people with access needs who require attendant care support are issued a second ticket at no cost for their companion. It's a condition that all Adelaide Fringe events offer complimentary Companion Card tickets, so this ticket type is automatically included in AVR. For more information on the scheme, please visit https://www.nds.org.au/resources/companion-card-sa.
• Schools: If you've opted into the Schools Program, your event must be appropriate for school-aged audiences. Schools tickets are exclusively for school group bookings and must be arranged through our Schools Program Coordinator at schools@adelaidefringe.com.au. Schools tickets have a discounted artist inside charge of 2%, so you'll need to nominate a price lower than your cheapest ticket. Contact schools@adelaidefringe.com.au if you'd like to know more about the Schools Program.
• Meal & Show: This bespoke ticket price should cover both the performance ticket and catering. If you need assistance, please contact ticketing@adelaidefringe.com.au.

Please note it's a condition that if your event has a Meal & Show ticket type, you must have Companion Card options available for people with access needs who require attendant care support. You can set up these Companion Card options on your AVR registration (under the Ticketing section). For more information contact ticketing@adelaidefringe.com.au.

Example Pricing Structure

Be smart about your pricing! Use the various price types to your advantage. On Friday and Saturday nights, you're more likely to attract a larger audience, so consider charging a premium on those nights. Then, offer concession or discount pricing on nights when attendance might traditionally be smaller. We also encourage uniform pricing as much as possible. Aim for whole dollar amounts and keep pricing consistent across weeknights, and then similarly for weekend pricing.

Please note this is just an example; make sure you choose the price types that best suit your event.

Notice how the example charges a $4 premium on Friday to Sunday, then opens up the discounts on the quieter nights.
BankSA is capped at 20 on weeknights but only 6 on the weekend, Fringe Insider only appears Monday to Thursday, and Cheap Tuesday takes on the slowest night of the week. VIP holds its price all week, because what's in the package doesn't change.

Average Full Price 2018-2026 and Average Price per Genre

What's a reasonable price to charge for your event? Please value your work and consider why you're participating in the Adelaide Fringe. Make sure you factor in your specific circumstances, your budget, and your goals. Every artist will have different financial priorities; some are doing a Fringe event for financial gain, while others seek exposure or experience.

Here's a look at the average full price over recent years:

*Last updated September 2026

And here's the average price breakdown by genre:

*Last updated June 2025

Fees and Charges

Inside Fee

From 2027 you'll keep more of your box office. We've reduced the inside fee to 4%. That follows the drop to 5% in 2022, part of our ongoing work to leave more of the ticket price with the artist. It's the only standard ticketing fee artists and venues pay, and Schools Program bookings carry an even lower rate, reduced from 2.5% to 2%.

Some ticket platforms have inside fees of almost 15%, but we work hard to keep ours low to ensure higher returns for your box office settlements.

When you're setting up your ticket prices in AVR, you'll need to enter the total advertised ticket price. AVR will then show you the net ticket price, minus any inside fees, so you can easily see and review your pricing structure. You'll know immediately how much you'll take home per ticket sold.

In your advertising material, please make sure you display the total advertised ticket price and include 'plus transaction fee'. For example: Full Price $30 (plus transaction fee). It's a requirement that customers see all pricing as a whole, and this price is known as the 'Advertised Price'.

Customer Transaction Fee

A flat transaction fee of $4.80 is applied to each purchase across all our sales channels. This means whether customers buy on the website, over the phone, or at our box office, the same transaction fee applies. Some ticket platforms charge per ticket, but Fringe charges only once per transaction, regardless of how many tickets are in the customer's cart.

Why These Fees Matter

Adelaide Fringe is a not-for-profit organisation. Ticketing fees go directly back into running the festival, helping to cover essential costs like:

• box office expenses
• the call centre and the customer service team
• bank and payment processing charges
• the staff who handle ticketing and box office settlements for artists and venues
• maintenance of our ticketing platform
• the running of our website that hosts your events, and more.

We're always striving and innovating to keep fees as low as possible. We're proud to employ local South Australians in our ticketing team, on the phones in the call centre and in the box office, and these fees support those jobs as well as the systems that ensure smooth operations right across the festival.

Complimentary Tickets

You have complete control over your complimentary tickets, which can all be managed in the ManageMyTix Portal once your event is on sale.

Presenter-issued complimentary tickets (also known as 'presenter comps' or 'papering tickets') incur a fee of $0.30 per ticket. This amount is charged at settlement. There's no limit to how many complimentary tickets you can issue. The same applies to venue-issued comps and promoter-issued comps.

However, complimentary tickets issued by Adelaide Fringe that you've pre-approved (this includes Media Review Comps, Awards Comps, Schools Comps, Honey Pot Comps, Ticket Giveaways programme, Fringe Membership Giveaways, and Companion Card) won't incur the $0.30 fee per ticket.

Promo Codes

A promo code offer is another fantastic way to generate early ticket sales or boost sales on quieter days.

Promo code offers are discounted price types linked to a specific code word that you can use to promote your show in marketing campaigns, appeal to specific audiences, or use when flyering.

Since 2024, you've been able to add promo code offers in AVR during your Adelaide Fringe Event registration. This is a great way to be strategic about your discounts and offers for the season, so choose codes and discounts you can reuse or repurpose!

Once events are on sale, during busy periods, new promo code requests can take up to 72 hours to action. By planning ahead and adding robust, reusable promo codes in AVR during registration and before your event goes on sale, you'll bypass the queue for promo code requests.

Of course, if you've already finalised your registration, promo codes will need to be built manually in the ticketing system by the Adelaide Fringe Ticketing team. You'll need to request this by sending an email to ticketing@adelaidefringe.com.au with the following details:

• Event & venue name
• Promo code word (maximum 15 characters, no special characters or spaces)
• Discount amount (applies to Full Price tickets only)
• Date & time of the show/s you wish to apply it to
• Number of tickets available to purchase (if you wish to set a limit)
• Start date/expiration date of promo (if time restricted)

Keep in mind that promo code offer prices aren't publicly visible, so there's no risk of someone accessing the price until you've shared the promo code with your audience.

Click here to view our resource on setting up your promo code.

What are you waiting for? Get ahead of the rush and add your promo code in AVR at registration.

To set yourself up for success with promo codes:

• Choose a codeword(s) relevant to your event.
• Don't make it too easy to guess.
• Don't forget you can add a cap!

You Own Your Tickets

It's completely your decision what you do with your tickets. Adelaide Fringe will not make decisions about your tickets without your consent. This means that:

• We do not give away tickets without written request or permission from the registered presenter.
• We do not discount your tickets without written permission from the registered presenter.
• We do not increase your capacity without written permission from the registered presenter.

Ticketing Law - Live Performance Australia Guidelines

Adelaide Fringe issues tickets in accordance with the LPA Ticketing Code of Practice.

This means by participating in Adelaide Fringe and agreeing to the artist agreement, you're acknowledging compliance with the LPA Ticketing Code of Practice.

For more information, click here.

Boost Your Quieter Nights

Cheap Tuesday replaces Midweek Treat for 2027. Feedback from artists and audiences pointed the same way: Cheap Tuesday is a campaign people already know and love, and a familiar offer is an easier one to sell.

Cheap Tuesday Explained

Cheap Tuesday is a festival-wide campaign built around the quietest night of the week. Each week Adelaide Fringe promotes participating events across multiple platforms, so the campaign does some of the marketing work for you.

How it works. Cheap Tuesday pricing can only be used on Tuesday sessions. The discount is a fixed 30% off your Full Price, and in AVR the Cheap Tuesday price calculates automatically from your Full Price, so if you change one, the other moves with it. You control how many discounted tickets you release with a cap, and you can change that number at any point in the season.

If 30% is more than you want to give away. You don't have to join the campaign to make Tuesdays work harder. You can set a lower Full Price on your Tuesday sessions instead. You'll miss the campaign promotion, but you keep full control of the price.

What you don't want to do is both. Say your Full Price is $30. Add Cheap Tuesday and audiences pay $21. If you'd rather not give away 30%, skip the campaign and set your Tuesday Full Price at $25 instead. But if you lower your Tuesday Full Price to $25 and add Cheap Tuesday on top, the 30% comes off the $25, not the $30, and audiences pay $17.50. We strongly recommend doing the maths before you set it rather than after.

What Else Can You Do?

Fringe has some more fantastic initiatives to help you attract new audiences and get bums on seats. Make sure you check out the 'Ticketing Summary' and 'Opportunities' section of your AVR to find out more and get involved with:

Lumo Flash Sale

In 2026 this partner-subsidised campaign delivered the biggest pre-February sales day of the season, which makes it one of the most effective ways to build momentum before opening night. More details on this exciting opportunity are coming soon for 2027, so keep an eye on the Opportunities section of your AVR registration.

Bundles

Bundles allow you to offer a discount when audiences buy tickets to two or more shows together in one transaction. These shows can be from the same presenter or different presenters.

Here's how it works: When someone adds tickets to both Show A and Show B in their basket at checkout, they receive a discount (e.g., 10% off both tickets). You decide the discount amount and the discount type. It's a great method of cross-pollination marketing, encouraging people to see more shows and save money!

Please note that Bundles:

• can be complex to build and take time, so don't leave your Bundle request to the last minute. Plan ahead and allow a minimum of 72 hours.
• are not compatible with all shows and ticket types. For example, some venues (like The Garden of Unearthly Delights) cannot bundle with a show from a different venue.
• generally only work on Full Price tickets, and not bespoke ticket types.
• work best on shows with the same or similar price points, and compatible dates and times. It's up to you to do the planning.
• can have a limit and/or promo code applied.
• can be promoted in a public Fringe List, but aren't directly promoted by Fringe; it's up to you to spread the word.

Fringe Insider

Got seats to fill at the last minute? Fringe Insider lets you offer $5 tickets to our Fringe Insider database, a network of local and national industry professionals, friends, family and Fringe contacts. No inside fee applies to these tickets, so the full $5 comes back to you!

Fringe Insider tickets go on sale from the first day of Fringe. You can either add them in at registration or, you can turn it on later and manage it any time through your ManageMyTix dashboard.

Summary

• A well-planned ticketing strategy is crucial for maximising your revenue and ensuring a smooth Fringe experience.
• Adelaide Fringe offers various ticket types, including discounts for specific groups, early bird offers, and midweek incentives to help you attract a wider audience.
• Our low 4% inside fee and flat transaction fee structure are designed to ensure you receive a higher return on your ticket sales.
• You maintain full control over your ticketing decisions, including complimentary tickets, and can use promo codes to boost sales strategically.

Additional Resources

• Adelaide Fringe Ticketing Team Hotline: (08) 8100 2012
• Contact the Ticketing Team: ticketing@adelaidefringe.com.au
• Manage My Tix Portal: https://af.reports.red61.com.au/
• Companion Card SA: https://www.nds.org.au/resources/companion-card-sa
• Setting Up Promo Codes Resource: https://avr-legacy.adelaidefringe.com.au/blog/ticketing/how-to-add-promo-codes-and-report-on-them
• LPA Ticketing Code of Practice: https://avr-legacy.adelaidefringe.com.au/blog/ticketing/ticketing-law-live-performance-australia-guidelines
• Schools Program Contact: schools@adelaidefringe.com.au or (08) 8100 2004