It has been a number of years since I last surrendered to the delirium of late February in Adelaide – that annual moment when the Festival State shrugs off its reserve and throws itself, glitter-first, into creative abandon.
For 64 years, Adelaide Fringe has built its reputation on something deceptively simple: openness. Its innovative and inclusive model as an open-access arts festival has made it a vital proving ground for emerging talent.
There are no velvet ropes barring entry to bold ideas. If you have a show and a story to tell, Fringe will find you a stage – whether that stage is a grand theatre, a pop-up tent, or an upstairs room in a heritage building.
With more than 1,500 shows spanning comedy, cabaret, circus, theatre, music, visual art, interactive works and large-scale immersive experiences, Australia’s biggest arts festival once again transforms Adelaide into one of the world’s most bustling cultural destinations.
Artists arrive from across Australia and around the globe; audiences return year after year, weaving Fringe into their summer rituals. The 2026 season already feels poised to be one of the most dynamic in the festival’s history – not simply because of scale, but because of its spirit.
Nowhere is that spirit more palpable than at The Garden of Unearthly Delights (GOUD). For over 25 years, The Garden has been the glowing heart of Fringe. What began in 2000 with a single Spiegeltent has grown into one of Australia’s most dynamic outdoor festival precincts – a kaleidoscope of canvas, fairy lights and anticipation. It is an essential destination: world-class performances unfolding just steps away from thrilling rides, an eclectic sprawl of food and retail stalls, and the constant hum of possibility.
And there is nothing quite like the outdoor Piano Bar as the evening deepens. There’s something gloriously unifying about seeing Dr Trevor Jones lead a well-lubricated crowd in rousing renditions of Bohemian Rhapsody and other classic bangers. Strangers become choristers, arms slung around shoulders, belting out every operatic crescendo beneath the open sky. It is chaotic, communal and unmistakably Fringe – high art and high spirits colliding in the best possible way.
A short wander away stands Gluttony, within its tents – The Virago, The Flamingo, The Peacock – genres blur and expectations are gleefully overturned. And who can resist having a cheeky refreshment in the aptly named Champagne Island in the middle of Rymill Park.
In a whirlwind of a weekend, I managed to see eight shows – a reminder that at Fringe, stamina is as important as curiosity. There was the sheer madness of Pinky von Sox and the Novel Stand-Up Experience – a one-man love letter to bookworms and guitar nerds featuring David Tieck, staged in an upstairs room of the historic State Library. It was intimate, eccentric and madly literate the sort of left-field concept that thrives precisely because Fringe exists.
From there, I plunged into La Ronde at the Spiegeltent (GOUD) – a fearless seduction that left the audience breathless, dazzled and grinning long after the final bow. A celebration of world-class circus artistry, La Ronde was slick, sensual and visually astonishing – proof that Fringe can deliver polish alongside playfulness.
At Gluttony’s The Virago, Shake It proved one of the most outrageous nights on offer. Songstress Minnie Andrews led a cavalcade of burlesque, circus and cabaret guest artists through a riot of sequins, sass and unapologetic spectacle. Across the park in The Flamingo, fire-breathing emcee Clara Fable ignited the crowd in INFERNO, introducing some of Australia’s best fire artists in a blaze of sparks and swagger.
Meanwhile, UK company Say It Again, Sorry? delivered a deliciously unpredictable spin on Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest in The Peacock – irreverent, self-aware and thoroughly Fringe. Especially when more audience members are drafted in to replace the ever-thinning cast…
And it isn’t just adults who benefit from the chaos. Kids, and not-so-little kids, are well catered for. GABEZ (MASA and HITOSHI) returned with their international award-winning LIVE MANGA, a highly physical, non-verbal performance rooted in mime that had the audience in stitches with laughter.
UK comedian Ian Fox kept the young (and the brave) entertained in Piemaggedon, the silliest game show imaginable, culminating in the time-honoured threat of a foam pie to the face. Fringe understands that tomorrow’s artists are today’s wide-eyed audience members.
One of the festival’s enduring joys is its capacity to colonise the unexpected. Across the city, pop-up venues appear in unlikely corners. Adelaide square’s become temporary hubs hosting the likes of the LASSU Chapiteau @ Light Square, while Victoria Square hosts Fools Paradise featuring a program of circus, physical theatre, comedy, music and magic. On the city fringe, both the Goodwood Theatre & Studios and the Holden Street Theatre present a stellar mix of offerings.
At the Migration Museum, The Courtyard of Curiosities hosted Lost Cabaret: An Art-fool of Clowns – a madcap collision of absurdity and artistry. Hosted by Sharnema Nougar and David Tieck, the evening featured Nicola Pohl, Sophie Power (CVNT), Joylon Secunda (The Routine), Holly Bohmer, Conor Lynch (Chimp), Charlie Mulliner and Mel McGlensey. It was chaotic, clever and utterly unrepeatable – the kind of show that feels like you’ve stumbled into a secret.
In Fringe season, location matters. You want to be able to drift from venue to venue, from show to show, without ever quite leaving the spell. Along Rundle Street East, bask in the summer atmosphere with on-street dining, world class buskers and musicians every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings throughout the festival.
And when the night finally winds down, though it never truly does during Fringe, proximity becomes a gift. With expansive views across the city skyline or towards the Adelaide Hills, a stay at Crowne Plaza Adelaide places you close to all the action.
Returning after several years away, I was reminded that Adelaide Fringe is not merely an event; it is a temporary artistic reimagining of a city. It invites risk, while rewarding curiosity. It is a place where anything feels possible, and everyone, whether you are a performer or audience member, is part of the spectacle.
The 2026 Adelaide Fringe continues to 22 March. For more information and full program, visit: www.adelaidefringe.com.au for details.
Images: The Cast of La Ronde (Adelaide, 2026) – photo by Cinematic Events | The Garden of Unearthly Delights – photo by Rohan Shearn | Say It Again, Sorry? presents …Earnest? – photo by Rohan Shearn | Joylyn Secunda in The Routine – photo by Mark Halliday, Moonrider Productions
Note: Rohan Shearn attended the opening weekend of Adelaide Fringe as a guest of Adelaide Fringe.