For the first time in Fringe history, we have three ATB Golden Ticket adventurers on site! Diana Opdebeck (2019), Anna Skagen (2020), and Shannon Prasad (2021) are celebrating their ATB Golden Ticket wins with us at the 2022 Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. There is no one way to fringe and our three ATB Golden Ticket winners highlight how you can make the most of your time at Destination Fringe. As ATB Golden Ticket Winners, they’ve each won the fringer jackpot: 100 tickets to Fringe Festival shows, VIP onsite parking, $250 to spend, a private catered dinner, three-night’s stay at a hotel, and more!

Diana Opdebeck has been fringing since childhood but turned to hardcore fringing in 2010. She is a true fringer at heart, celebrating their birthday as well as vacationing during Festival to maximize their fringing potential. Their favourite memories of Fringe come from meeting artists and getting to know them better. “The inclusivity and accessibility of the Festival makes that really easy…I’ve met so many incredible people over the years, some who’ve become lifelong friends!” For newer fringers, she recommends avoiding reviews and embarking on your own fringing adventure by choosing a show based on “what intrigues you in the program, the pitches of performers, and talking to people in lineup” as “there truly is a show for everyone.” Their final recommendation is to take a chance on something unexpected: “at the very least you’ll get a good story to tell about your experience.”

Anna Skagen is what we lovingly refer to as a hardcore fringer, averaging five or more shows a day throughout the Festival. This year, Anna plans on taking fringing to the next level. Fringe is her go-to destination and Anna recommends trying a little bit of everything. This approach has led to some of her best memories, from “being pulled up during a clown show to be the egg to her sperm, to filling the BBQ food truck guy in on all the go-to shows while eating delicious pulled pork, to fighting cold nights by getting a spot near the heater in the wine tent.” The more you lean into the unexpected, the more fringe-y memories you’ll make.

Shannon Prasad is particularly well-travelled when it comes to Fringe. Over the years, Shannon’s been a Volunteer, Team Leader, performer, and patron! Shannon recalls one of her favourite Fringe memories back in 1999 when tickets were still sold at the door and seeing shows required extra careful scheduling: “you had to run like mad to get in line!” she laughs. Thankfully, less running is required to get tickets these days, but making a plan (or even crafting a handy dandy spreadsheet) is sure to make your Fringe experience a breeze! After being away from fringing during the pandemic, Shannon was excited to see the return of Together We Fringe in 2021. ”We as fringers and a community will persevere through adversity, conquering with passion, empathy, and enthusiasm to become better than ever!”

Fringe is the ultimate destination for these three winners. No matter which way you fringe, you belong here.

Sponsored by our Lead Partner & Sponsor, ATB Financial, the ATB Golden Ticket Contest is a journey full of twists, turns, joy, and fun. Will you be our next winner? The ATB Golden Ticket Contest runs August 3 – 19, 2022. Daily clues have already started running on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter channels! The more you enter, the greater your chance of winning.