These South Australian acts are award-winning, genre-defying and full of Fringe buzz. Here are the locals you should see in 2026.
Tents are popping up. Group chats are pinging. Flyers are plastered to poles. Adelaide Fringe is kicking off for 2026 – and if you live in South Australia, you’re right in the thick of it.
From 20 February to 22 March, Fringe spills into parks, libraries, pubs, town halls and unexpected corners of the state.
With more than 1500 shows in over 500 venues, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure of comedy, cabaret, circus, theatre, music, visual art and immersive experiences – from the East End to Mount Gambier and everywhere in between.
Fringe is for everyone, everywhere
“Fringe is the most joyous time of year for the state,” says Adelaide Fringe Acting CEO, Tara MacLeod.
“Adelaide really embraces it. Everyone comes out, the restaurants are full, the streets are buzzing. It’s genuinely the community’s festival.”
It’s not just an Adelaide thing, either. With more than 100 shows in towns from Mount Gambier to the Flinders Ranges – spanning 15 First Nations cultural groups and dozens of communities – Fringe is truly statewide.
Inside Fringe 2026: What’s new, what’s back
Adelaide Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the southern hemisphere, and it’s open-access – anyone can register a show. That’s what keeps it unpredictable, democratic and occasionally unhinged (in the best way). You might see a world-class circus company one night and a debuting teenage comic the next.
The big hubs are back in 2026 – Gluttony, The Garden of Unearthly Delights and Fool’s Paradise – but shows are also popping up in local bars, libraries, suburbs and 86 regional venues.
New experiences this year include Immersive Worlds – a program of full dome, VR and sensory installations – alongside The Courtyard of Curiosities at the State Library, which brings after‑hours Fringe energy to the newly-refurbished Mortlock Chamber, recently named one of the world’s most beautiful libraries.
“We’re always thinking about how people engage with art now,” says Tara. “Particularly younger audiences who want to be part of the experience in new ways.”
What your ticket really supports
In 2025, over 1 million tickets were sold, injecting $197.7 million into SA’s economy and returning $26.7 million directly to artists and venues.
“South Australian artists get the chance to test new work, tour it, grow it,” Tara says. “They get in front of huge audiences – and that can change everything.”
And it’s not just the crowds. Fringe’s Honey Pot marketplace connects artists with national and international programmers, producers and festival directors. In 2025 alone, it helped secure more than $6 million in touring deals.
The support behind the scenes
Then there’s the more than $1 million in grants awarded to support 228 Fringe projects this year – many of them South Australian.
“That funding helps artists de-risk,” Tara says. “It takes away some of that white-knuckle feeling and allows people to make braver work.”
Underpinning it all is investment that starts at the top. “We could not survive without state government support,” Tara says. “It underpins everything we do – from grants and artist support to regional touring and the kinds of bold programming that make this the biggest arts festival in the southern hemisphere.”
How to Fringe like a pro
Yes, it’s a massive program. No, you don’t need to panic about FOMO.
Fringe is built for flexibility – and fun on a budget. Use the app or online planner to sort by genre, vibe, date or venue. Plan your route, stack your shortlist, and grab early-bird prices, group discounts or midweek deals.
“We love people who plan ahead, but we also love people who take a risk. Some of the best shows are the ones you didn’t know you were looking for.”
18 unmissable South Australian Fringe shows
Whether you’re a seasoned Fringer or diving in for the first time, here are 18 South Australian shows that bring the buzz, the brilliance and the bangers.
Music & cabaret
1.Electric Fields
ARIA winners. Eurovision stars. Local legends. This genre-defying duo blend Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara language with electronic soul. Powerful, intimate, and unmissable.
2.Oat Milk & Honey – Final Season
This internationally-acclaimed acrobatic-circus-music fusion tackles anxiety and raw emotion. It’s heartfelt, breathtaking, and this is your last chance to see it.
3.Charlee Watt: Caffeine Fiend
This 21-year-old rising star serves rich vocals, jazzy vibes and espresso martinis in this heartfelt coffee cabaret about burnout and buzzing.
4.A Friend of Dorothy: Anthems of Pride
Grab your glitter and join Lindsay Prodea for this queer cabaret party that celebrates the icons (Elton, Dolly, Gaga) – so good, it was literally voted Pride Adelaide’s Event of the Year.
5.Sink or SING!
Got main character energy and shower pipes? Join vocal coach Amelie Peters for this hilarious, wholesome singalong party. Cathartic chaos for car karaoke queens.
6.SICK-STEEN
Back with new songs and new diagnoses, Max Ray’s award-winning disability cabaret is fierce, funny and deeply real.
7.Love is a Game: An Adele Song Cycle
Breakup and bangers, created by Oliver John. A cast of eight bring Adele’s discography to life through romantic, queer and platonic stories, backed by a live band.
Theatre & storytelling
8.How to Drink Wine Like a Wanker
Tasting notes, self-discovery, and sass. Anna Thomas’s beloved theatre-cabaret hybrid is part performance, part wine tasting, and all personality.
9.My Grandpa Doesn’t Follow Me On Instagram
This part-confessional, part-clowning, found-footage road trip through queer identity and family secrets is already winning hearts – and awards.
10.Songs Inside
This doco follows incarcerated SA women writing and performing songs with the legendary Barkindji singer-songwriter Nancy Bates. Deeply moving, nationally touring, and changing how we think about prisons.
11.DUST
Charlaina Thompson’s debut play about working-class identity, grief and resilience won the inSPACE Award and sold out in 2025. Now back and bolder.
12.How Not to Make It in America
One actor. 28 characters. A hilarious and heartbreaking story of one Australian’s post-9/11 crash-and-burn in NYC. Written by Fringe fave Emily Steel.
Comedy
13.Kevin Kropinyeri: Funny Comes First!
One of Australia’s funniest and most beloved First Nations comedians. Kev is high-energy, deeply sharp, and laugh-out-loud from the jump.
14.Kushi Venkatesh – Still Happy
What happens when life’s spiralling and TikTok calls you ‘unc’? Adelaide’s Kushi is raw, smart and seriously funny – with a loyal following to match.
15.Granny Flaps – The Retrospective Roadshow
Lori Bell’s beloved bawdy alter ego is back, bringing classic hits, new gags and outrageous anecdotes to regional SA and the Fringe’s Adelaide heartland.
Circus, dance & experimental
16.Ten Thousand Hours – Gravity & Other Myths
Elite circus acrobatics. Physical mastery. Big flips and even bigger emotion from SA’s globally-loved GOM. Perfect for families too.
17.Lewis Major: Triptych
Three poetic dance works from a globally-acclaimed regional choreographer. Reviewed five stars across the world. Come for the movement, stay for the emotion.
18.Astral Ghost Orchid
Queer, trans, experimental and bold. Alix Kuijpers brings sound, choreography and cosmic vibes in this immersive dance-and-tech work-in-progress.
Everything you need for Adelaide Fringe 2026 – from tickets to the app – is right here.
