Sydney Fringe Festival Launches With Over 400 Events Across the City

Sydney Fringe Festival, New South Wales’ largest independent arts festival, launches this week with a dynamic program of over 400 events and 12 festival hubs taking over the city until 30 September. The Festival kicks off with a program of unforgettable shows at the Spiegeltent Festival Garden and the newly expanded Village Green Festival Garden, plus Sydney Place comes alive with a one night only exhilarating live concert, featuring South Korean underground sensation MEMI.

Spanning theatre, music, comedy, dance, visual art, circus, and cabaret, Sydney Fringe Festival program highlights include:

• The newly expandedVillage Green Festival Garden at Darling Quarter, featuring four full weeks of comedy, drag and circus programming. Highlights include musical comedy duo Otto & Astrid, fresh from Glastonbury, the two halves of Die Roten Punkte, set to perform a blisteringly hilarious set of songs from (almost) all of their albums; the hilarious cabaret romp Leather Lungs: Shut Up & Sing!; and the bewitching burlesque Something Wicked, featuring a lineup of international and award-winning artists performing death-defying acts.
• A dynamic series of events presented by Maker’s Mark at Machine Hall, includingJust Desserts on 27 September. Guests will be treated to an intimate evening of live music by future-soul superstar Ngaiire, while enjoying sweet treats by powerhouse pastry chef Anna Polyviou and Maker’s Mark cocktails, surrounded by vibrant floral artistry by ACID FLWRS.
• Producer, interviewer and co-creator of multi award-winning ABC showYou Can’t Ask That, Kirk Docker is set to host Feed Your Fire at Machine Hall on 20 September. Featuring an evening of groundbreaking conversations diving deep into burning topics around what makes Sydney’s cultural scene tick, participants will gather around a communal table and enjoy dishes crafted by the social enterprise Plate it Forward.
• A free open-air party,Pop in the Place, will take over the arcades of Sydney Place on Saturday 7 September,  featuring some of Asia’s new underground pop acts including MEMI, Lunadira and B E N N, alongside Asian market stalls and other exclusive brand pop-ups.
• Sydney Fringe Sideshowreturns every Tuesday to Sunday throughout the festival, with a program of immersive and experiential shows performed in pop-up spaces throughout The Rocks. Highlights include Dancefloor Conversion Therapy, a history of dancefloors and joyful regret by beloved Sydney DJ Jonny Hawkins; Lola’s Piano Bar, the ultimate pop-up musical theatre club; and the Multicultural Comedy Hub at 37 George Street featuring a diverse array of comedic talents.
• Spiegeltent Festival Gardentakes over Entertainment Quarter, with the iconic Sydney Spiegeltent home to two headline shows by triple Grammy award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir. A collaboration between ARIA-nominated DJ Groove Terminator, History of House is a dancefloor-exploding celebration of dance music through the decades, while the all-new concert Hope, features a rousing program of South African freedom songs, alongside beautiful renditions of the protest music of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Also at the Spiegeltent Festival Garden, must-see show27 Club celebrates the music of Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix, performed by Australia’s top rock icons; and circus dome The Vault is home to comedy-acrobats Headfirst Acrobatics’s multi-5-Star reviewed show GODZ and All Star Circus.
• The inauguralQueer Hub at Qtopia Sydney, presented by QNews, is set to amplify the work of LGBTQIA+ storytellers with an exciting line-up of international and local artists. Highlights include Frankie Fearce’s acclaimed satirical show DAZZA; Melbourne cabaret star Florian Wild’s show MONSTER, featuring their signature blend of drag, debauchery; and Purple Plastic Maori, singer and comedian Shalom Kaa’s autobiographical show of self-discovery, weaving together comedy, song and storytelling.
• Made in Sydneyreturns from 17 – 28 September at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, with a lineup featuring two sensational Sydney-made works and six award-winning shows from the 2023 Sydney Fringe Awards. Highlights include Voices of Joan, a radical retelling of the story of Joan of Arc through a tour de force solo performance by actor and theatre-maker Janie Gibson; Hillsong Boy, a queer holy communion musical chronicling weird and wonderful experiences of an ex-Hillsonger,  The Ukulele Man, the untold story of wartime comedian and ukulele legend George Formby, written and performed by Marcel Cole; and acclaimed one-woman show ENDHOE, an inspiring and hysterical story that uncovers actor and comedian Anna Dooley’s journey of living with endometriosis.
• Bringing to Sydney smash-hit shows from the international Fringe circuit, theTouring Hub is back at New Theatre from 17 – 28 September. Highlights include the award-winning Clockfire Theatre Co’s Plenty of Fish in the Sea, a darkly humorous and physically adventurous contemporary fable about finding the perfect catch; actor and writer Tom Moran’s hilariously true solo show Tom Moran is a Big Fat Filthy Disgusting Liar; Sh!t Theatre’s award-winning riotous show Drink Rum with Expats; and rising star of Australian dance, choreographer-director Lewis Major’s show Triptych.
• The pioneeringLIMITLESS hub returns to 107 Redfern from 10 – 21 September, celebrating the work of d/Deaf artists and artists living with a disability, while offering an inclusive and accessible space for audiences and artists to enjoy. Highlights include stand-up comedian Loz Booth’s show Extra Ordinary, set to take audiences on an unforgettable journey filled with hilarious anecdotes, unexpected twists and heartfelt moments; Not Dead Yet! by Crones in Cabaret, a poignant and funny show that tackles the myths and realities of ageing through songs, sketches, poems and puppetry; and Crips & Creeps Comedy, an inclusive comedy night that celebrates comedians who are marginalised due to sexuality, race, gender or disability.
• TheNeilson Studio at Sydney Dance Company will host the Dance Hub from 26 – 28 September. Highlights include the debut contemporary dance work Love Arena by Sydney-based choreographers Remy Rochester and Jasmin Luna; and Move FM, an eclectic assortment of contemporary dance by Sydney’s most exciting emerging artists and makers.
• TheCabaret Club finds a new home at Kings Cross Hotel with a month-long program of burlesque, piano sing-alongs, musical satire, and more. Highlights include the world premiere of Gladys: A Musical Affair, a new musical journey about Gladys Berejikian; ABBAsolutely Abbey, a nostalgic, heartfelt night with performer Abbey Paige Williams as she explores self-discovery through the beloved music of ABBA; and back by popular demand, the interactive, inclusive, body positive production Church of the Clitori.
• Immersive piano concertIn the Key of G celebrates the creativity of Sydney’s city centre. Four celebrated composers have crafted unique pieces that will come to life on two pianos in the George Place foyer, with music enthusiasts and piano players from the Sydney community invited to learn segments of the compositions before performing them together on 25 September.
• On28 September, the final Saturday night of the festival and official closing party, audiences are invited to join Daft Punked – The Tribute as they don their replica chromed helmets to celebrate and continue the legacy of electronic dance music pioneers.

Visit the website for full details of all Sydney Fringe Festival events: https://sydneyfringe.com/