The Philadelphia Burlesque Festival
The Philadelphia Burlesque Festival is entering into its third year, April 6th-9th of 2017. It's been an honor to bring acts form around the world to our fair city since 2015. In past years, I have been able to front the money for the festival and take care of the loss upon recieving the checks from ticket sales and merchandise. However, as a freelance artist, this year has been a little less lucrative and in order to make sure we can cover our expenses on the front end, we need help from you, our fans and patrons of this bold and beautiful art of burlesque.
The amount of money we're asking may seem like a lot, but it's not even the full amount it costs to throw the festival - just what we need to cover on the front end. Here is a precise breakdown of what your donations cover: Headliner Fees ($1,800), Performer Stipends ($2,300), Host Fees ($600) The remainder of the venue rental ($1,800), Live Music for our Sunday Night Show ($800), Photography & Videography of the event ($800), Promotional and Program Materials ($800), Tech Crew ($800), and other smaller expenses. We were able to cover our Headliner Travel and accomodations from our application fees.
We're seeking these funds as soon as possible and every little bit counts. While we are still selling tickets in the traditional sense, supporting us through our GoFundMe gives patrons a chance to sponsor a performer, have their name listed on our website as one of our donors, special, limited edition prizes and more!
To be clear - this money is NOT to pay ourselves. It is to pay our performers, headliners, hosts, musicians, crew, venues, and production team. If there is money left over at the end of this endeavor, it goes towards the 2018 Philadelphia Burlesque Festival to take care of the next year's up front costs. This artform is so important to this city and the festival is integral to the growth and inspiration of our scene. We want so much to continue putting on a festival with high standards that takes care of its performers and talent in every way possible and without our audience's support, we can't do it. But with you? We can continue to fly in headliners from around the world and bring them to you right here in beautiful, historic, and ever evolving Philadelphia.
I don't know if words can describe what your support means to us. On a very literal level, you will be creating art in our city. We know it's a lot to ask, but with all of you, this festival is possible. Help us complete our journey to elevate Philadelphia, empower women, LGBTQ, and performers of all size, race, and gender, and keep self-love and expression alive in the face of hate.
