With a recording breaking 1100 events, a carnival wonderland will pop-up in the Adelaide CBD this evening to celebrate the launch of the 2016 Adelaide Fringe program.
More than 5000 artists will take part in the 2016 festival featuring 228 music events, 24 interactive events, 112 cabaret shows, 35 circus and physical theatre shows, 305 comedy events, 12 magic events, 32 dance shows, nine film and digital events, 151 theatre productions, 111 art and design exhibitions, 58 children’s events and 45 special events. Magic is a new genre in the Fringe for 2016, as is the interactive genre.
Straddle the film and interactive genres, the breathtaking Fringe Illuminations, which will see many of Adelaide’s North Terrace cultural institutions transformed into living canvases of light for the first two weeks of the Fringe. The facades of the State Library of SA, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the South Australian Museum and The University of Adelaide will be brought to life by Adelaide’s illuminart and Sydney-based company, The Electric Canvas.
The Fringe Illuminations will run from Friday, 12 February, – Sunday, 28 February, from 8.30pm until 1am. The spectacular display will be opened with a special Kaurna Sunset Ceremony on the South Australian Museum forecourt on 12 February at 8pm.
Unveiling the program for her inaugural Fringe, Director and CEO Heather Croall said “I’m thrilled to see the diversity on display in the 2016 Adelaide Fringe program. I can’t wait for audiences to experience the best ever Fringe program, including work from the new genres, and as always there really is something for everyone. The Fringe Illuminations will be a fantastic event to enjoy while going from one Fringe show to another. I encourage everyone to get out and get amongst it all”.
Adelaide Fringe Ambassador Julian Clary said he’s all for taking a chance on an unknown show or artist. “My motto – in life and at the Fringe – is to take some risks. I’m all for sticking a pin in the program and going to see something random and obscure,” said Mr Clary.
In 2016, the Fringe will truly permeate every corner of town. There will be an increase in Fringe venue spaces, with more than 430 – up from 376 in 2015. These will include 221 venues in the CBD and 211 in suburban and regional areas.
Adelaide Fringe will continue to be a hotbed for rising talent in 2016, with more than 290 Fringe first timers showcasing their work to brave Adelaide audiences. Among the first timers will be companies and performers from Australia and places as far afield as Bangladesh, Sweden, Mexico, Ghana, Fiji, France, Hong Kong and many other exotic locales.
Adelaide Fringe’s Youth Engagement Program, YEP! will return in 2016 and provide amazing opportunities for school and youth organisation groups to engage in the Fringe. A tailor-made YEP! Guide is available to help schools and youth organisations navigate the extensive Adelaide Fringe program.
Adelaide Fringe Chair David Minear acknowledged Adelaide Fringe’s economic contribution to South Australia and also thanked the partners and organisations who contributed to making the Fringe a reality each year.
“It is important to remember just how enormous our Fringe is – there is no other Fringe like it in Australia – and as one of the largest arts events in the world, Adelaide Fringe attracts a large contingent of visitors from interstate and overseas and makes a significant economic contribution to our state.
Minister for the Arts, Jack Snelling highlighted the open nature of the Adelaide Fringe and the buzz it will bring to Adelaide in 2016.
“Once again we are on the cusp of the Adelaide Fringe – one of the largest, open-access, non-curated arts festivals in the world and the excitement is contagious, said Mr Snelling. “It really is a true people’s festival and Adelaide Fringe 2016 will no doubt exceed all of our expectations.”
The 2016 Adelaide Fringe will kick off with street parties and Fringe shows, along with the switching on of the Fringe Illuminations on North Terrace on Friday 12 February. The Fringe Parade on Saturday 13 February will run along North Terrace in 2016 and will be part of the biggest opening weekend Adelaide has ever seen. Adelaide Fringe will then run until Monday 14 March.
A digital Fringe Guide is now available online. The printed Guide hits the streets from 2 January 2016. For more information, visit: www.adelaidefringe.com.au for details.
Image: Adelaide Fringe Illuminations