Everyone has a happy place — preferably two or three. For me, it’s sinking into a hot bath with Epsom salts, reading a picture book with a grandchild on either side of me, and the Edmonton International Fringe Festival.

The festival, which wound up at the end of August, is the biggest and longest-running Fringe festival in North America. Launched in 1982, it has provided a platform for 43,000 artists to present their work over more than four decades. This year, there were 216 shows in 38 venues featuring 1,600 artists. The event sold 114,632 tickets in 2023, with $1.2 million going into the pockets of artists. It’s impressive.