From Thursday 16 February through to Sunday 19 March the Adelaide Fringe festival is making its grand and annual return to Adelaide – aka the most wonderful time of the year in South Australia.
The Adelaide Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the southern hemisphere and hosts over 6000 independent artists in over 300 venues for shows that include cabaret, theatre, comedy, circus, music, visual arts, workshops, and heaps more.
And to celebrate the comeback and 21st birthday of the beloved open-air venue in the parklands, The Garden of Unearthly Delights (GoUD) is throwing a big old b’day bash on the opening night of the 2023 season.
Weave your way around The Garden’s magical festoon-lit outdoor surroundings in Kadlitpina/Rundle Park and relish some free performances throughout GoUD’s many bars and nooks on Thursday 17 February from 7:30pm.
On top of that, you’ll be the first to experience the South Australian premiere of Kaleidoscope – a breathtaking sensory installation created by visual mastermind Keith Courtney (House of Mirrors, 1000 Doors) that’ll leave you speechless (if you can manage to find your way out)!
As you bask around in the evening heat, a line-up of local musicians will cater to your ears including alt-country legend, Mark Curtis and award-winning conductor and musical director, Trevor Jones on the keys. The Kensington and Norwood Brass Band will also be blowing your away with their brass tunes from The Great American Songbook, while DJ Pedro will be tuning the dance floor.
You’ll also be the first to try The Garden’s very first dine-in restaurant, Roberta’s Italian Disco Diner! Much like the Roberta’s in previous years, there’ll be traditional foods served upon red and white checkered tablecloths, fiasco chianti wine bottles, and Italo disco tunes from some of Adelaide’s dizziest DJs all month long. Bookings for Roberta’s are strongly encouraged via Open Table to avoid a pizza flop.
And as always, the will be dozens of rides, sideshows, and market stalls that you can’t experience anywhere else at the Fringe scattered across the GoUD’s green parklands venue.
During Fringe season, the streets of Adelaide also turn into magical socialising spaces with plenty of dancing in those streets, free entertainment and circus-y displays which exudes a truly mesmerising energy to all those head out.
With beginnings in 1960, the Adelaide Fringe has grown exponentially with 632,667 tickets having sold during the 2021 Fringe season, even in a state of Covid.
Ticketed shows in the GoUD kick off from Friday 17 February – view the full, spicy program here.
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