Adelaide Fringe 2024 Program Launched

Image: Turn The Beat Around. Adelaide Fringe 2022. Photographer: Ian Coker. 

With more than 1,300 shows, the 2024 Adelaide Fringe promises a “kaleidoscope of the talented, the wonderful, and the outright whimsical, set to transform Adelaide into a utopia of discovery and culture across February and March”.

The multi-genre festival amalgamates comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, visual art, music, interactive and more in a melting pot of artistic expression.

Ahead of the official festival dates, Adelaide Fringe will kick things off for 2024 with First Nations Cultural Tours of Adelaide Botanic Garden on Sunday 11 February.

The 2024 program boasts 23% international shows, a 5% increase on the 2023 season. There are 703 South Australian shows making up more than half the program and illustrating once again, the strength of South Australian talent in the Adelaide Fringe.

There is a strong program of First Nations shows in Adelaide Fringe 2024 across various genres with headliners including Marlon Motlop, Frank Yamma, Zenadth Kes Meriba Wed, Dupang Pangari (a camping festival and corroboree by Uncle Moogy) and the returning Aboriginal Comedy Allstars.

This year’s Fringe Ambassadors include Professional Basketballer and Cabaret Singer Isaac Humphries performing at Wonderland Spiegeltent, Prinnie Stevens doing shows in Gluttony, and Aussie TV Chef Adam Liaw who will be doing two nights of SBS’s The Cook Up live on stage from the Woodville Town Hall.

Image: HOLY BIN AMOLEY. Adelaide Fringe 2022. Photographer: Fumika Takagi. 

2024 Adelaide Fringe Ambassador and TV personality Adam Liaw said, “I’m excited to be an official Fringe Ambassador this year, but I think I’ve been an unofficial ambassador for years already. Fringe brings Adelaide alive like no other festival and I’m so excited to be a part of this year!”

2024 Adelaide Fringe Ambassador Isaac Humphries said “I am beyond thrilled to embark on this journey as an Adelaide Fringe Ambassador for 2024, a festival that epitomises the global art and culture scene. I've been a fan and attendee of Fringe for years and can't believe I've been given the opportunity to represent this festival that I love so dearly. To see my own show in the program at Australia's biggest arts festival alongside some of the stars and icons I've been looking up to over the years is an absolute dream. A massive thank you to the Fringe team for letting me fly the flag this year as an Ambassador, I can't wait to champion the festival to every single person I can."

Program highlights for 2024 include:

The Dome – an immersive, planetarium-style cinematic experience in Freemasons Hall, featuring the Dark Side of the Moon - an immersive experience with the full Pink Floyd album

Natural Wonders – an outdoor art gallery under the stars hosted in Adelaide Botanic Garden from the second weekend of Fringe, featuring installations and projections by local South Australian artists Alex Frayne and Katrine Penning, Liam Somerville and Michael Ellingford, light and installation duo “Harsh Realities” and Ngarrindjeri woman, Nicole Gollan’s piece called The Spirit Lives On

YOAH Circus - An Australian premiere from Japan’s most talked about contemporary circus company.

LIMBO - The Return. The debut of the latest work from the creative producers of BLANC de BLANC, THE PARTY and of course, LIMBO.

Beatles Dub Club - the Australian premiere, opening weekend only.

Robo Bingo- Presented by Fox Dog Studios arriving fresh from their season in Edinburgh Fringe

In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats - an interactive VR spectacular that takes you back and puts you in the shoes of rave culture pioneers.

Image: Ropeable. Adelaide Fringe 2022. Photographer: Fumika Takagi.

The Fringe program will also be activating the regions, with events including Coober Pedy comedy night (Arabana/Kokatha Country), music at William Creek Hotel (Arabana Country), Coonawarra Fringe (Pinchunga Country), Port Augusta Fringe (Barngarla Country), Waikerie Fringe Market (Ngawait Country) Naracoorte Fringe Street Party (Ngarrindjeri Country) Loxton Mardi Gras Family Festival (Meru Country), and Dupang Pangari (Coorong Spirit) Festival (Ngarrindjeri Country). Suburban metropolitan hubs will also activate across the Festival with dedicated programs, including Marion Cultural Centre and The Parks Theatre.

Fresh to Adelaide Fringe from the team behind Adelaide’s celebrated LGBTQIA+ venue Mary’s Poppin comes one-day Music Festival ‘Poppin Out’ at the old Adelaide Gaol. The event is expected to attract 3000 attendees and features performances from pop royalty Cece Peniston along with the legendary Sneaky Sound System, Drag Icon Anetra and 2023 Fringe Ambassador Kween Kong.

Sidebyside Festival - an Adelaide-based music festival presenting local, national and international artists on the forefront of disco, house and techno will be calling Adelaide Fringe home in 2024 with the event set to take audiences by storm in the Western parklands.

More than 500 venues will be participating in Adelaide Fringe in 2024, including The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Gluttony, Wonderland in Hindmarsh Square, Holden Street Theatres, Rhino Room, The Lab, the Yurt at the Migration Museum Courtyard, Fool’s Paradise (Victoria Square), and AC Arts in Light Square, which will feature a world-class dance hub including 4 world premieres and 3 Australian premieres produced by Lewis Major.

With extended activity in the West of the CBD there are over 200 shows and thousands of individual performances including new Venues to 2024 the Pink Flamingo in Festival Plaza, Infamous Circus in Ellis Park (Tampawardli), and The Inflatable Church in Light Square. Other new venues include Enter Closer running a cabaret and comedy hub across multiple venues on Frome and Angas streets in the city (in the Dom Polski Centre, The Majestic Hotel Rooftop and WEA).

In 2024 Adelaide Fringe in partnership with the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) will present an industry-facing Australian Circus and Physical Theatre event. Titled “Leaps and Bounds”, the two-day event will include pitch sessions for visiting festivals and presenters, along with a program of exchange, round-tables, and networking. This event is expected to further invigorate the Adelaide Fringe Honey Pot Program, an arts marketplace that happens alongside Adelaide Fringe and facilitates opportunities for Fringe artists to connect with industry, programmers and curators from around the world.

Image: Reuben Kaye - The Butch is Back. Adelaide Fringe 2022. Photographer: Rebekah Ryan. 

2024 Fringe Ambassador Prinnie Stevens said, “I am over the moon to be an Adelaide Fringe Ambassador for 2024. As a performer, the Fringe Festival was my producer-debut. Since that day, my life has changed forever. I unlocked a talent and a passion for storytelling.

“Growing up in an industry where artists were told what to wear, how to sing, what to say and how to act. I had finally found a voice and a freedom that I owe to this festival! I’m so passionate about not only creating a safe space for myself, but to open that same door for others. I believe strongly that black and brown stories need to be told by black and brown people. Allowing them the voice and platform to share it,” said Stevens.

Adelaide Fringe Director and CEO Heather Croall said, “To say we are excited about the 2024 season is an understatement. In 2023 we sold a million tickets – a first for any arts festival in Australia. Next year’s program is looking spectacular and I hope we can reach this incredible milestone once again. We are gearing up for another bumper year, thanks to all the participants, the State Government, all our Festival Partners and donors.”

BankSA State General Manager, Consumer and Business, Enza Ferraro said “At BankSA, wew we are beyond proud to be supporting Adelaide Fringe as Principal Partner in 2024, a festival attended by one in every two South Aussies. As Fringe kicks off we make it our absolute priority to champion Adelaide Fringe to everyone we can and encourage the community and tourists to South Australia to get out and support Fringe artists. In 2024 BankSA are making it as easy as possible for Fringe goers to navigate Fringe with the MyFringe Planner online, which makes sorting through the more than 1300 shows an absolute breeze.”

Minister for Arts, Andrea Micheals said, “It's fantastic to welcome back Adelaide Fringe for 2024 with an exciting program packed full of new shows, events and experiences for South Australians and visitors to enjoy.

“I can't wait for us to do it all again in 2024 and maybe even set a new record!”

Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison said, “The 2023 February and March festival season was one for the record books reaching $906 million in visitor spend. As we unveil the program for Adelaide Fringe 2024, we are reminded of the dynamic and diverse spirit that defines not just this great festival, but South Australia as a whole.

“We’ve already heard how this year’s festival season was a huge hit – with the Fringe having sold one million tickets for the first time and we are really looking forward to next year’s event. With more than 1300 shows, the program is set to captivate audiences and contribute significantly to our thriving tourism sector. We are proud to host Australia's biggest arts festival right here in SA and invite everyone to immerse themselves in the extraordinary experiences that the Adelaide Fringe offers.”

Registrations to participate in Adelaide Fringe are still open. Tickets are now on sale  www.adelaidefringe.com.au

Adelaide Fringe is supported by the State Government of South Australia.

2024 marks 19 years of BankSA’s Principal Partnership with Adelaide Fringe.

Adelaide Fringe will take place across 16 traditional language, social and nation groups across the state: Andyamathanha, Arabana, Barngarla, Bindjali/Bodaruwitj, Bunganditj, Kaurna, Kokatha, Maintangk, Meru, Narungga, Ngadjuri, Ngarrindjeri, Nhawu, Nukunu, Peramangk, Wirangu