The Fringe club believes in the formation of a culturally diverse, open and vibrant society in Hong Kong as it transforms from a British colony into a major city of China. The Club believe that the arts have a vital role to play in this transformation, and that the meaning, ideas and emotional responses they create can define a community.

They find it important for the arts to reach out to all sectors and to cross over with other disciplines in order to be relevant to our society. Motivated by these beliefs, they seek to create an environment where artists can make and show their work and stress the importance of the principles of open access and freedom of creation. They extend open access to all art forms, practised by artists of all nationalities and actively provide opportunities and support for them to interact in a meaningful way with the community.

Activities:
•Open art platform to provide rent free services
•Overseas networking
•Care about heritage and city development
•Mount Annual City Festival

Mission Statement:
•the Arts have a vital role to play in the transformation our City from a former colony into an open society;
•the ideas, meanings and emotional responses generated by the Arts can define the character as well as the cultural identity of our society;
•the Arts have to reach out to other sectors in order to communicate with and be relevant to our society.

Motivated by these beliefs, the Fringe Club nurtures local emerging artists by presenting their work and providing them with a supportive and open environment to create and hone their skills. We engage in cultural heritage work, community outreach, and regularly collaborate with overseas arts organisations to showcase and promote Hong Kong and its artists.

Hong Kong Festival Fringe (1983 to 1998)
City Festival (From 1999)
Started in 1983, the earlier festivals were modelled on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and offered an uncensored open platform for all visual and performing art forms. These festivals became the backbone for the Fringe’s ongoing year-round programme. In 1999 the annual festival was repositioned to promote urban culture, featuring local and international performances and exhibitions. These encompass a wide range of arts disciplines: music, dance, theatre, comedy, the visual arts, film, literature, multi-media, cabaret, stand-up comedy, fashion and even food.

These activities take place not only in the Fringe Club’s building in Hong Kong’s Central district, but throughout the city, taking the form of street fairs, parades, shows, exhibitions, and arts-related conferences, workshops, symposia and talks.

The Fringe Club’s core audience is inclined to be adventurous of spirit, and for that they are rewarded by something truly original, or so outrageous that their experience becomes more than the sum of its parts.