Fringe Festival at risk with donations short of target

Local theatre company The Necessary Stage (TNS) is once more appealing for donations for its annual Singapore Fringe Festival, with funds far short of its $80,000 target two weeks from the crowdfunding campaign's close.

- Clement Yong

As at March 18, it has managed $18,807, which comes to 24 per cent of its target sum. This is a marked improvement from the 12 per cent eight days ago when it was driven to warn on Instagram "we may have no choice but to cancel Fringe 2027".

Donations to the festival known for its forthright confrontation of prickly social issues and support for independent creatives are matched by the Ministry of Finance's Tote Board dollar for dollar, effectively doubling all donations for TNS.

TNS general manager Melissa Lim says it currently looks "awfully tough" for the festival to successfully attain its goal by March 31.

Its round of crowdfunding for 2026's edition held in January exceeded its target of $50,000 by a sliver, but rising venue and manpower costs have since driven expenses up.