The vision for Adelaide Fringe 2004 was to develop and maintain the Adelaide Fringe as an internationally acclaimed fringe festival for independent, alternative and emerging artists.

The 2004 Adelaide Fringe was held from 20 February - 14 March.
 
The 2004 Fringe built on the program of special events, programs and initiatives produced in 2002, including the massive Opening Night Parade & Party, Fresh Bait emerging artist program, Multicultural Family Days, Satellite and Regional Fringe programs and The Hub.
 
Karen Hadfield took over the reins from Katrina Sedgwick as Artistic Director following the 2002 Fringe. Karen and CEO Jodi Glass assembled an excellent and energetic team of staff and Karen's vision for Adelaide Fringe 2004 had the central themes of lighting, participation and community engagement and the celebration of multicultural arts.
 
There were over 400 registered events and around 30 special events were produced by the Adelaide Fringe.

Key 2004 Adelaide Fringe Highlights:

FringeHUB was the heart of the Fringe; it was a collection of 12 venues housing performances and exhibitions from over 60 companies.
 
A new venue- The FringeLOUNGE - was constructed for the Barr Smith Lawns to hold free and ticketed events. The FringeLOUNGE transformed into the FringeCLUB for late nights where punters could unwind at the bar and catch Fringe shows.

The Adelaide Fringe 2004 Official Guide was an 80 page colour brochure. 450,000 copies were printed and distributed throughout Adelaide

One of the key new operational systems that the Fringe commissioned in 2004 was the online artist registration system. This was called FERS, the Fringe Event Registration System and permitted artists to register their events for the Adelaide Fringe and administer their event information.

Special Fringe produced initiatives included: Lighten Up - a project using lighting as art and creating pathways to the FringeHUB and Hearsay - two South Australian regional artists worked with residents at the Baxter Detention Centre to enlighten the community about the truths and myths surrounding detainees.

The Adelaide Fringe 2004 Produced Events included:

• FringeLOUNGE   
• FringeCLUB           
• Global Family Day   
• Blast Theory               
• Opening Night Parade and Party
• Lighten Up
• Gala4KIDS
• Closing Event - Rangoli
• FreshBAIT
• Hearsay           
• Laugh Yourself Blak
• Karka Palti
• FringeBINGE
• Ngapartji Ngapartji, ATSI visual arts gallery
• Film Program – Shoot The Fringe, Digital Media Symposium and 4 Minute Wonders
• Satellite Fringe
• Regional Fringe

 
An Economic Impact study was undertaken reporting an economic impact of between $12.5 and $24.9 million. 81% of people who attended Adelaide Fringe 2004 were from Adelaide and 17% were visitors from interstate, intrastate and overseas. Of the visitors, 4.5% were from overseas and 12.5% were from inter- and intra-state.

Sources:
2004 Fringe Guide
2004 Economic Study