Following a global search, Adelaide Fringe has appointed Canadian arts and culture leader Marc Carnes as its new Chief Executive Officer, commencing 1 July 2026.
Carnes will join Australia’s biggest arts festival after more than 20 years working across arts, culture, fringe festivals, audience development, media, tourism and the creative economy in Canada.
Most recently, he served as CEO of listener-supported CKUA Radio, Alberta’s voice for music, arts and culture, where he led an eight-year revitalisation and transformation of Canada’s oldest public broadcaster during a period of significant disruption across the social, cultural and media sectors.
Carnes also brings direct experience across the fringe festival sector, having served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Society, the organisation behind the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, North America’s largest and longest-running fringe festival.
His appointment comes as Adelaide Fringe continues to strengthen its role as one of the world’s leading open-access arts festivals, built by artists, venues and audiences across South Australia.
Adelaide Fringe Chair Paul Hamra said Carnes’ appointment followed an extensive search for a leader with the right mix of cultural, commercial and community-focused experience.
“The Adelaide Fringe is a special institution and we have been searching very wide for a special leader. Someone who could recognise and celebrate the position Fringe has attained and build it further for artists, audiences and venues over the next five years.”
“As CEO, Marc will work closely with Adelaide Fringe’s existing executive team to grow audiences and continue strengthening the festival’s position as a major cultural and economic driver for South Australia and the nation.”
Carnes said he was honoured to be appointed to lead Adelaide Fringe and recognised the responsibility of serving an artist-led, open-access festival with deep cultural and economic impact.
“I believe passionately in the role the arts have in building communities rich in stories and experiences that bring us together. Adelaide Fringe is one of those rare cultural organisations that belongs deeply to its artists, its audiences and its city. To be invited to help steward something of that scale, history and impact is a real privilege.”
“I come to this role with enormous admiration and respect for the artists, venues, staff, partners and community who have built Adelaide Fringe into Australia’s biggest arts festival. It is an artist-led festival at its heart, and I see the role of CEO as one of custodianship, listening closely, learning deeply and understanding how my experience across arts, culture, tourism and audience development can best serve the people who make the festival what it is.”
Carnes’ background also includes senior roles with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Francis Winspear Centre for Music, as well as serving on the board of Explore Edmonton, the city’s destination management agency, which supports Edmonton’s $2.5 billion annual tourism sector.
His experience across cultural tourism, audience growth and creative organisations will support Adelaide Fringe’s focus on connecting artists with larger audiences, particularly as visitor audiences continue to represent one of the festival’s fastest-growing ticket-buying segments.
Adelaide Fringe is the biggest arts festival in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, with its open-access model enabling artists, venues and audiences to shape one of the most diverse festival programs in the world.
Carnes will officially commence as Chief Executive Officer on 1 July 2026, with his first Adelaide Fringe festival as CEO taking place in 2027. Acting CEO Tara MacLeod will remain in the role until Carnes takes over in July.
For more information, visit adelaidefringe.com.au
