Wynnum Fringe has raised the curtain on a packed program of star-studded performances, special events, spectacular artists and family firsts, converging on Brisbane’s beautiful Bayside from 16 November to 4 December 2022.
Australian rock royalty DIESEL headlines the Raine & Horne Wynnum Spiegeltent in an exclusive one-night-only performance to kick off the Rock The Bay: Pop Up Series on Thursday 24 November.
The inaugural Wynnum Fringe Comedy Gala takes to the Spiegeltent stage on Thursday 1 December featuring some of the biggest names in stand-up comedy including Mel Buttle, Damien Power, Luke Heggie and Chris Ryan.
Cabaret queen Dolly Diamond brings her fabulous and family-friendly Storytime – featuring Wynnum author Dannika Paterson’s best-selling children’s book, Beach Kindy – and High T variety show to the Spiegeltent over the first weekend.
Also winning young hearts – and the young at heart – is Chores, the international kids’ comedy-circus sensation jam-packed with stunts, acrobatics, roller skates, balancing acts and even toilet paper guns.
These celebrated acts join previously announced Spiegeltent headliners including comedians Dave Hughes and Cal Wilson and the Marcia Hines-led Velvet Rewired – a glittering, high-energy fusion of disco, dance, burlesque and circus.
In other venues, hilarious family-friendly circus show Prehysterical plays The Vault, while Bayside Music Hall will thump to the sounds of Bullhorn, a formidable Brisbane-based nine-piece featuring trumpets, trombones, saxophones, drums and sousaphone as part of the exciting Rock The Bay: Pop Up Series.
The three-week arts, entertainment and cultural extravaganza spans a dazzling array of performance genres including music, dance, comedy, theatre, cabaret, burlesque, circus as well as weekend family programming.
Wynnum Fringe Founder and Director Tom Oliver promised an arts and cultural event on a scale not seen before on the Bayside, Australia’s latest and greatest performing arts hub.
“I am hugely proud of how Wynnum Fringe has grown from a three-day event in 2020 – developed as an economic and artistic response to COVID – to this year, welcoming more than 35,000 people over 19 days and celebrating the best in contemporary, independent and alternative arts and entertainment,” said Mr Oliver.
“This year’s program celebrates our roots with the free family programming and local artist spotlights our community knows and loves and embraces our incredible growth with a huge line-up of big-name acts, internationally renowned productions and special events to dazzle visitors of all ages.
“I’m especially excited to welcome people to the Wynnum Fringe Garden, a brand-new festival hub at George Clayton Park on the shores of beautiful Moreton Bay and our homage to the great Fringe Festival hubs of the world.
“The Garden is not only the home of the Spiegeltent but a place of gathering and celebration, where people meet before a show or grab a drink afterwards for a lively debrief and where free entertainment attracts families on weekends and couples and groups of friends at night,” added Mr Oliver.
As well as housing the Spiegeltent, Wynnum Fringe Garden features a Ferris Wheel, a container bar with a rooftop seating area, food trucks, artists performing Rock The Bay: Pop Up Series gigs daily in Miles: The Caravan Stage and roving entertainment from Cocoloco and Memetica.
This year, a different theme runs through each week of Wynnum Fringe, starting with yana marumba, meaning “walk good” in Quandamooka language, and the name of the festival’s official opening event on Friday 18 November.
This theme highlights Wynnum Fringe’s strong connection to Country and the Bayside’s Indigenous community as well as First Nations programming including Dane Simpson’s Didgeridoozy, Ethan Enoch-Barlow and Sachem’s all-ages gig at Bayside Music Hall and Memetica’s giant Elder Puppet Janggaburru, part of yana marumba.
Eurotrip is the theme of the second week with a slate of international programming including two productions by Head First Acrobats – Crème de la crème and GODZ – a twisted take on Greek mythology in the hilarious Garry Starr – Greece Lightning and a second big week of Velvet Rewired.
It also heralds the FREE Ampol Family Fun Day in Wynnum Fringe Garden on Saturday 26 November with entertainment including Latino Lane: La Fiesta.
The final week of Wynnum Fringe is devoted to Local Legends with hometown heroes taking to venues across the Bayside including Cedar & Pine Bar, Frenchies UpLate and The Shed.
Battle of the Bands returns on Saturday 3 December – led by Wynnum Fringe’s Youth Ambassadors – with local schools competing at Bayside Music Hall for a chance to win a day in the recording studio.
The Wynnum Fringe Pooch Parade struts in on 3 December and invites furry friends to bring their humans to Wynnum Fringe Garden for a free and fun fancy dress parade for dogs.
In a thrilling change of pace, the south-east Queensland-based Pro Wrestling League teams up with Wynnum Fringe to present Bayside Brawl – an evening of big hits and big personalities in the Spiegeltent on Sunday 4 December.
“After dark, Wynnum Fringe is a melting pot of cabaret, live music, comedy and showstopping entertainment, all set on the coastline of beautiful Moreton Bay,” said Mr Oliver.
“On the weekend, it is the perfect family day out with free and ticketed events for all ages, wellness classes, acoustic sets from great local musicians and an array of tantalising food and drinks – from high tea with a cabaret icon to cocktails on the container bar roof.”
Wynnum Fringe has appointed four high-profile Festival Ambassadors in 2022: Queen of Pop Marcia Hines AM, international sports star and Wynnum local Vicki Wilson OAM, and ABC Breakfast presenters Loretta Ryan and Craig Zonca.
The 2022 Wynnum Fringe runs 16 November to 4 December 2022. For more information and full program, visit: www.wynnumfringe.com for details.
Image: Marcia Hines in Velvet Rewired – photo by Sam Oster