Performer’s wild act stuns at Adelaide Fringe Festival

The annual Adelaide Fringe Festival is drawing in a crowd, thanks to one performer’s wild onstage act.

Two weeks into the Adelaide Fringe and still festivalgoers are flocking in droves, thanks to the diversity of acts, attractions and wild stunts on offer.

The biggest annual arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere kicked off in the South Australian capital on February 16 and continues through to March 17, with culture-seekers able to eat, drink and immerse themselves among the major activity hubs around the city.

First and foremost, the festival – which attracted 4.5 million people last year – showcases both emerging local and global artists with a total of 1400 shows spread across one of the outdoor event hubs at the festival.

Gluttony at the Adelaide Fringe Festival runs from February 16 to March 17. Picture: Helen Page

Gluttony showcases the best local and global acts. Picture: Helen Page

Located at Rymill Park in Adelaide’s East End, Gluttony is one of those hubs and leads the way with its spectacular shows on offer at the open-access festival.

Among them is the colourful stage show Afrique en Cirque, a vibrant celebration of Guinean culture featuring live music, dancing, acrobatics and one incredible contortionist you need to see to believe.

Afrique en Cirque is a major attraction this year. Picture: Helen Page

The show highlights Guinean culture through live music, dancing and acrobatics. Picture: Helen Page

The audience was left gasping when the young African acrobats performed gravity-defying stunts and human pyramids, but one highlight of the show was the contortionist and his incredible ability to bend his body backwards and inward between his legs.

“Best show we have seen in Fringe,” one festivalgoer praised in a review, while another said, “Amazing show, amazing stunts. Blown away by the spectacle of it all.”

Yet another added: “Great live music, singing, mind blowing contortionist (wtaf was he doing to himself????) and acrobatics.”

An acrobat from Afrique en Cirque left the audience stunned. Picture: Instagram

The young African skills need to be seen to be believed. Picture: Instagram

For those looking for something sexier, burlesque offering Inferno won’t disappoint.

The show’s line-up features the best fire and burlesque artists in Australia. For two years in a row, Inferno has consistently sold-out shows at Gluttony, with the 60-minute production mashing up sexy burlesque acts with scorching fire stunts making it one hot night out.

Fire and burlesque show Inferno is also a big hit this year.

Inferno’s burlesque dancers wow on stage.

And there’s plenty more where that came from, with cabarets, comedy gigs and magic shows also on offer.

“Gluttony hosts a bumper program catering to every age and interest and set to shower audiences from near and far in colour, creativity, and pure joy,” says Elena Kirschbaum and Daniel Michael, the event hub’s co-owners and directors.

Michael adds: “2024 brings one of Gluttony’s strongest line-ups of international artists ever with acts from Canada (Cirque Kalabanté), Japan (YOAH), South Africa (Soweto Gospel Choir), the US (DJs Roxanne Roll and Alex Oxley), and Scotland (Kevin Quantum) – and that’s just for starters. As a proudly South Australian arts hub, we also love showcasing local talent at Gluttony.”

Gluttony is a hub of activity filled with shows and food and bars. Picture: Helen Page

As the name suggests, Gluttony is also a hub of eateries and bars. Multicultural dining options are on offer such as European and Asian cuisines among the 30 food vendors, and there’s no shortage of quirky pop-up bars on site.

You can enjoy a drink inside the world’s largest vending machine located at Ayers House on Gluttony’s North Terrace site.

This pop-up vending machine is a main attraction at Gluttony. Picture: Adelaide Fringe Festival

Daisy Buckland (left) and Sarah Abbott from Sassafras PR outside the biggest pop-up vending machine in the world. Picture: Adelaide Fringe Festival

The multi-level pop-up venue is quite a sight with giant Suntory Minus 196 Double Lemon Garden cans of Japanese beer featured in the 11-metre tall facade.

It has a bar on the ground floor, dance floor on the second and another bar and DJ station on the rooftop that boasts stunning views of Adelaide’s parklands.

There’s also a pop-up tattoo studio at Gluttony. Pig Skin Tattoo Collective showcases unique designs from an array of Adelaide’s tattoo artists. They take walk-up appointments only, if you’re game.

Gluttony runs at the Adelaide Fringe Festival until March 17. For more information and tickets, visit www.gluttony.net.au

Originally published as Performer’s wild act stuns at Adelaide Fringe Festival