Our already vibrant city is about to up the ante and things are about to get weird and wild, but mostly fun in South Australia with the return of the annual Adelaide Fringe festival.
For those unfamiliar with the month-long event, Adelaide Fringe is a celebration of diverse arts, culture, and creative experiences with performances from comedy, music, and theatre to circus and cabaret, plus heaps more for audiences of all ages with a keen eye for fun.
And lucky us, Adelaide Fringe’s largest and highest ticket selling venue in Fringe venue, Gluttony is making its way back to Rymill Park/Murlawirrapurka in Adelaide’s East End with a show stopping program for 2023, and it’s nothing short of spectacular.
Gluttony has curated a program that includes over 600 artists who will perform across 13 venues – with an expanded grounds of 65,000 square metres. Plenty of room to explore shows, activations, and energetic installations.
Gluttony co-owners and directors, Elena Kirschbaum and Daniel Michael said, “Coming into 2023, it’s a return to where we were pre-pandemic, but taking a lot of the lessons learned and also the growth that we’ve seen over that period.
“There are as many performance spaces and shows as we had before the pandemic, but on the more expanded site that we’ve had since 2020 and 2021. We’re hoping this will be our biggest year yet.
“Gluttony is first and foremost an arts hub that is one hundred percent committed to showcasing the very best artists, performances and the largest variety of entertainment for everyone’s tastes.”
This year’s Gluttony program features diverse genres including cabaret, circus, magic, comedy, dance, music, burlesque, and children’s entertainment.
“This year we have an exciting injection of new shows and international acts are back in full swing including The Choir of Man and magician, Charlie Caper,” Daniel shares.
As well as a hub for international acts, Gluttony will continue its tradition of shining a light on marvellous South Australian talent, with artists like Millicent Sarre, and Gospo Collective, plus dancer and storyteller, Erin Fowler and magician, Matt Tarrant. As well as favourite homegrown stars including Annabel Crabb and Simon Lewicki as Groove Terminator.
In addition to the Gluttony classic, there’s a bunch of new shows in store for the Adelaide Fringe’s 2023 Gluttony program.
Find a horror-themed theatrical dance and circus show, Mansion; a collection of The Beatles monumental rock classics with a twist, Come Together; a back alley French brothel deep in the red-light district of Paris type set up; a spin-off show from the makers of drag variety hit Yummy Iconic but for kids; and a play on a bus where the audience becomes part of the show, Speed: The Movie, The Play – to name a few!
Some returning shows to Gluttony this year include the crowd favourites Rouge, Hot Dub Time Machine, History of House, Velvet Rewired, and hypnotist Matt Hale.
And to house all of these spectacular shows, Gluttony is doing the most with three open-air venues to provide the ultimate ventilation in this new era of performance spaces required for live events. Oh and they’ve introduced two new drinking spots too – a margarita bar called Julio’s and Club Curious – a premium gin bar in a secret location with live performance and a DJ.
On top of all of that, the eastern state’s famed Gelato Messina is rolling into town ahead of their official Adelaide ice creamery opening. But in the meantime, you’ll find them scooping 20 of the best-selling and classic concoctions in Gluttony. From rad velvet, Robert Brownie Jr, and NYC plus to panne e pistachio, super dulce de leche, and tiramisu.
Adelaide Fringe’s Gluttony will be in full swing from Tuesday 17 February through to Sunday 19 March. Entry into Gluttony’s parklands venue is free, but most shows require tickets – make sure to check out the full program.
The Adelaide Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the southern hemisphere, and “In pre-pandemic years, Gluttony sold the highest number of tickets ever sold by a Fringe venue, and we are hoping to hit over 275,000 tickets sold in 2023,” Elena finishes.