The 2017 Adelaide Fringe will send festival-goers down the rabbit hole and into a magical wonderland when it kicks off tonight with a moving sunset ceremony, illuminating digital experiences and a thrilling Fringe Parade, with much more being held across the opening weekend.
Adelaide Fringe Director and CEO Heather Croall said the Fringe was ramping up to delight, surprise and even shock festival-goers, with the city set to shine its brightest from February 17 to March 19.
“Our favourite time of year is here again, and we’ll be sharing our excitement with festival-goers by putting on a fabulous opening weekend offering a feast of entertainment and celebrations,” Ms Croall said.
“The festivities start with our special sunset ceremony on the lawns of the South Australian Museum on Friday night, followed by the spectacular Fringe Parade along North Terrace on Saturday evening. There will also be hundreds of shows to choose from and people will take to the streets to embrace the party atmosphere.
“It’s just an amazing time to be in Adelaide, and we’ll keep up the pace across the 31 days of the festival with an abundance of free and ticketed events.”
Adelaide Fringe’s Digital Arcade opened tofday, inviting festival-goers to strap on headsets and be transported into a tantalising world of virtual reality at the State Library’s Institute Building from 10.30am to 4.30pm. North Terrace will also be the site of a poignant Tindo Utpurndee – Sunset Ceremony on the SA Museum lawns at 8pm before Digital Walls turns its iconic buildings into living canvasses of light from 8.30pm. Meanwhile the East End will host the first Ebenezer Night Markets of the summer and street parties will include Fringe events Fat Tuesday (On a Friday) on Vardon Avenue and Dark Matter in the laneway next to Sugar Nightclub.
Fringe-goers will also be able to take advantage of BankSA and Channel 9’s Take a Friend 4 Free tickets available to a wide range of shows that evening. A full list is available at adelaidefringe.com.au.
Tomorrow, free performances will begin for Unfold Fringe in Rundle Mall under the Gawler Place Canopy, with artists taking to the stage from noon. From 5pm Night Markets will be held on North Tce with pre-parade entertainment starting at 7.30pm before the spectacular Fringe Parade (supported by Vodafone) at 8.30pm. The procession of mythical woodland creatures, dazzling fire displays, enthralling choreography and more than 80 luminous floats and 1500 enthusiastic artists – accompanied by a thrilling soundtrack from DJ TR!P – will be a visual extravaganza for the tens of thousands who attend.
The Adelaide Fringe Parade is this year supported by Vodafone, a new program partner for the Adelaide Fringe in 2017, as a major partner across the event.
“Vodafone is proud for the first time to be a major partner of this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival,” said Vodafone Consumer Business Director Ben McIntosh. “We’ve witnessed the festival grow each year, attracting a host of talented performers – whether it be in comedy, cabaret, dance, magic, or music – and this year will be no exception. There’s even going to be a smartphone scavenger hunt!
“We believe the Parade in particular is an exciting opportunity not only for Adelaide to show off some of its best talent but also a chance to celebrate the unique diversity of the arts.”
The 2017 Adelaide Fringe program is a treasure trove of more than 1100 shows presented by more than 5000 artists across a variety of genres – 290 comedy shows, 248 music events, 143 theatre productions, 132 cabaret shows, 89 visual arts and design exhibitions, 65 children’s events, 60 special events, 43 circus/physical theatre events, 38 dance shows, 25 interactive events, 17 magic shows and 10 film and digital events.
For more information, including road closures, visit adelaidefringe.com.au.
Adelaide Fringe would like to thank:
Our Principal Partner of 12 years, BankSA
The Adelaide Fringe Parade is proudly supported by Major Partner Vodafone
With thanks to Adelaide City Council and our Media Partners Channel 9, the Advertiser, Nova 919 and APN Outdoor