A Study of the Formation and Development of Taipei Fringe Festival from Cultural Policy Perspective

[[abstract]]Festival Fringe was initiated in Edinburgh in 1947. After more than half a century, it has become the largest arts festival in the world. Many cities hold their own Fringe Festivals. The characteristics of no artistic vetting and open-access make many Fringe Festivals the synonym of originality, avant-garde, and independent arts. Fringe Festival becomes an important platform to encourage creations and bring up artists; that is the reason why many governments provide grants to support, or host Fringe Festivals directly. Many cities adjust the operations of Fringe Festival depending on their own cultural background. Taipei Fringe Festival, held since 2008, was established by Taipei City Government, showing that the cultural policy was putting an emphasis on arts festivals. How policies support the Taipei Fringe Festival, and how the organizer makes the orientation will be the key points to affect future development of Taipei Fringe Festival.