ADELAIDE FRINGE FESTIVAL

It’s here again, the communal craziness that is the Adelaide Fringe. When the streets of the city become a gigantic, flamboyant conga of performers- dancers, jugglers, actors, musicians, singers, comedians, visual artists, mime artists, contortionists, physical theatricists, acrobats, poets, puppeteers, photographers, conductors, plus the myriad supporting roles- directors, writers, stage hands, technicians, printers, bill stickers, pamphleteers, bar staff, chefs, waiters, food truck drivers, ticket vendors, hotel staff, taxi drivers. Fringe touches everyone.

For one month the usually circumspect city will host the Southern Hemisphere’s largest arts festival, second in the world only to Edinburgh. With over a thousand shows, and every possible public space being press-ganged into becoming a venue, plus major side venues- the Garden of Unearthly Delights, the Royal Croquet Club and Gluttony– there is something for everyone.

For those who prefer their art more high brow, there is the concurrent Adelaide Festival featuring top international artists, dance troupes and theatre companies. If wine is your thing (and here in Australia’s premier wine state, it usually is) there is the Cellar Door Festival, and for lovers of literature, Adelaide Writers’ Week. But even if you go to nothing, you cannot fail to feel the buzz. Summer is as high as spirits. The craziness is truly communal.

See also

Festival city