We know how it sounds – you only just cracked the first window on your advent calendar and we’re already asking you to think about the return of festival season. Surely it’s too soon. But with more than 1300 comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and music shows, as well as interactive events, coming to Adelaide for Fringe next year, it might just take you two and a half months to leaf your way through the hefty program.
“To say we are excited about the 2024 season is an understatement,” Fringe CEO Heather Croall said in a statement. “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.”
Running from February 16 until March 17, the festival showcases a kaleidoscope of talent from the local scene as well as around the globe. Twenty-three per cent of acts are international, while 703 (over half the program) are South Australian.
Three ambassadors for the 2024 program have been announced, including Fringe favourite R’n’B singer Prinnie Stevens; basketballer-slash-cabaret-singer Isaac Humphries; and SBS darling Adam Liaw, who’ll bring a live version of The Cook Up to Woodville Town Hall.
So what can you expect from the program? The Dome, an immersive, planetarium-esque projection, will play Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon from cover to cover; you can get married or renew your vows at an inflatable church on Light Square (move over Vegas); virtual-reality experience In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats will put you in the platform Docs of early adopters of rave culture; and there’ll be performances from Cirquework, Japan’s most talked about contemporary circus. Plus, Poppin Out Festival will turn Adelaide Gaol into “a temple of love and freedom” with performances from Sneaky Sound System, drag royalty Anetra and Kween Kong, and heaps more.
The program will also push into the regions with events in towns like Coober Pedy and Port Augusta.
Tickets are on sale now.
