Festivals, artists and entrepreneurialism : the role of the Adelaide Fringe Festival

This paper addresses the role of the Adelaide Fringe Festival in facilitating entrepreneurialism amongst participating artists. Tracing the discursive development of the notion of the entrepreneur, the paper identifies how entrepreneurialism has been taken up by the discourses of the creative industries. While we note that entrepreneurialism is a key strategy within the creative industries framework, it would appear for artists the concept does not necessarily connote the achievement of commercial outcomes. The paper argues that these cultural entrepreneurs are defined by self-reliance, the focus on the development of their craft, and the cultural value of their work.