Adelaide Fringe 2024: The new quirky, fun and family-friendly things to do this festival season
From a giant vending machine with a rooftop bar, to a pop-up tattoo parlour, there’s plenty of fun to be had this Fringe – you just need to know where to look.
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Fringe fever is taking over the city, with the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere kicking into top gear this weekend.
For 31 magical days and nights, Adelaide will come alive as the curtain goes up on more than 1400 shows spread across major hubs and venues around town.
But beyond the performances, there’s also plenty of quirky eateries, bars and family-friendly fun to be had – you just need to know where to look.
Here are some of the newest offerings and festival sites around Adelaide to ensure your Fabulous February and Mad March lives up to the hype.
MINUS 196 EXTREME VENDING MACHINE
Fancy a drink and a bite in the world’s largest vending machine? What the?
It’s impossible to miss this new multi-level venue from beverage brand Suntory, located at Ayers House on North Terrace, which is literally bringing the Japanese spirit to the Fringe.
Standing 12 metres tall and spread over three levels, it features the Minus 196 Double Lemon Garden on the ground floor, followed by a rooftop bar at the top, boasting epic views of Adelaide’s east parklands.
In between, check out Suntory’s Freeze Crush Infusion technology, where a whole fruit is frozen at minus 196 degrees, crushed and then infused with vodka. Whoa.
Acclaimed chef Adam Liston and his Leigh St hotspot Shobosho will provide the snacks and there will also be live music and DJs to entertain the crowds.
Open Wednesday-Friday 5pm until late and from 3pm until late on weekends.
GLUTTONY
The Fantail’s private boxes
Want to see a show in style? Then skip the queue and book one of these unique boxes in Gluttony’s main open-air venue.
The private space fits four people and includes a concierge service for drinks, an icebox to keep them cool, and a small spread of snacks.
The boxes are situated on a raised platform and feature a roof, so you’ll have an ideal view while also protected from the elements.
Among the big shows playing in the Fantail are History of House, 27 Club, Soweto Gospel Choir and Fleetmac Wood.
Pigskin Tattoo parlour
Get some new ink between showsat this pop-up studio which features some of Adelaide’s top tattoo artists. There are several pre-drawn pieces – known as tattoo flash – so customers can pop in and get inked at a moment’s notice.
For walk-up appointments only, all flash designs can be viewed inside the venue so come take a look and pick out something you like. Open from Thursday-Sunday during Fringe.
Club Curious
Grab your friends, get a drink and dance like no one is watching at this late-night playground, accessible only through a wardrobe door.
Open to anyone with a ticket to a Gluttony show, inside there’s a cracking gin bar, funky tunes, quirky fun and plenty of games for patrons aged 18 and over. Open Tuesday-Thursday from 9pm, and Friday-Saturday from 10pm.
Academy of Magic kids’ workshop
Budding young wizards can hone their skills at these special sessions, which are part-magic show, part-workshop.
Guided by “professional wizards”, each child will receive a set of props, and be given the tools needed to transform into supreme sorcerers. All kids are encouraged to deck themselves out in their fanciest magician costumes with prizes on offer for best dressed.
Quentin Kenihan Inclusive Playspace
Open since 2020, this playground – created in honour of the late disability rights advocate – will be accessible from Gluttony for the first time.
The gate between this unique playground (located up near the Bowling Club) and the Fringe site will be open during daylight hours until dusk. This will allow families to pop in and enjoy fun features such as a wheelchair accessible trampoline, a sound and sensory garden, and waterplay area.
GARDEN OF UNEARTHLY DELIGHTS
Corso restaurant and cocktail bar
Pan & Vine, the popular Kent Town pizza bar, is expanding its offering this year with a full dine-in restaurant called Corso.
Taking over the space previously occupied by Roberta’s Italian Disco Diner, the new-look eatery is the perfect spot to escape the buzz of the Garden and tuck into a delicious Italian starter or a bowl of pasta with friends. Among the menu highlights include fettuccine alla panna and a pumpkin and ricotta ravioli dish, plus there’s also a tiramisu for those with a sweet tooth.
And if you need a drink or two – and let’s face it, who doesn’t? – right next door you’ll find a sexy cocktail bar serving up lychee and elderflower spritzes, among a range of drinks. Bellissimo!
Red Bull’s Fountain of Youth
This one’s for the cheeky Fringe goer. Buy a Red Bull and vodka from this secluded little bar towards the back of the Garden, then head over to the nearby fountain. Place your cup on the ledge under the statue, pop your token into the coin slot and watch your vodka shot pour in from the little Cherub’s “you-know-what”.
Future Cargo
The team behind popular multi-sensory shows Seance and Flight are back with a new immersive experience, this time inside a 40-foot haulage truck.
An Australian premiere, this sci-fi dance phenomenon is performed under the stars.
Audience members are connected to this strange world and the events inside the truck through headphones. Well worth checking out.
Cirque Alfonse – Animal
Alain Carabinier, 78, is the oldest member of Canadian family circus troupe, Cirque Alfonse, and one of the oldest performers at this year’s Fringe.
His career on stage began as a surprise for his 60th birthday.
“My daughter and son erected a big top tent in our village and put on a show, giving me my lifetime wish to ‘have a go on stage’ as my birthday present,” he said.
“That’s how Cirque Alfonse started, and 18 years on, we have never looked back.”
Animal – which combines circus, song, dance and theatre – is finally coming to Australia after almost 200 performances across the globe over the last two years.
Irreverent and comical, the show sees the agricultural world reimagined as a rural fantasy land, with a gentleman farmer surrounded by a range of animals – with a difference.
Cirque Alfonse artistic director Antoine Carabinier said they are “super pumped” to return to Adelaide after a five-year absence.
“We love Adelaide and can’t wait to immerse ourselves in the Festival and city over the season,” he said.
Carabinier said Animal was inspired by their family’s background.
“Having been raised on a small farm – we wanted to pay homage to our past and the fun we had growing up,” he said.
“Animal is jam-packed full of entertainment and fun, it is unlike anything you have seen before.”
INFAMOUS IN ELLIS PARK
There’s a new custom-built Spiegel Big Top Tent in the west parklands – and it’s the biggest in all of Adelaide, with room for up to 700 people.
Inside you’ll find adults-only cirque, Infamous, in town for their first appearance at Fringe.
Featuring the thrilling Wheel of Death and captivating flying trapeze, there’s a talented array of aerial acts fused with naughty burlesque comedy and live music across two hours.
PINK FLAMINGO
Straight from the Gold Coast comes this new Spiegelclub on Festival Plaza.
Feisty, feathery, and fabulous, the entertainment hub will play host to two shows, raunchy cirque Zirque La La and sexy late-night cabaret Forbidden.
From world-class international acrobats, comic performers, live music and a chorus line of stunning showgirls, there’s a little something for everyone.
And in between shows, enjoy crafted cocktails and delicious food options in the large space, conveniently located near SkyCity Adelaide and the River Torrens.
Pink Flamingo co-founder Sue Porret said she was thrilled to be in Adelaide for the first time.
“Adelaide Fringe is the cream of the crop with fringe festivals and we are delighted to get down to SA and treat more of Australia to the pink palace,” she said.
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