Adelaide Fringe Onkaparinga
Published on 16 February 2024
South Australia’s annual world-renowned arts festival, the Adelaide Fringe, returns from 16 February to 17 March with plenty of shows happening right on your doorstep!
We thought we’d give you an easy guide to all the frivolity happening in Onkaparinga and some cool places to eat and drink while you are checking out all things Fringe. There are 18 shows across nine suburbs ranging from music, visual art, comedy, circus, puppetry for kids, workshops, storytelling, food and wine and more. There is something for all tastes, age groups and budgets! Avoid the crowds this March and support local venues.
Aberfoyle Park
A G&S Celebration!
Celebrate at Seeds Uniting Church with the famous Adelaide Male Voice Choir and popular guest soloists Joanna McWaters (soprano) and Andrew Turner (baritone) in this stylish tribute to good friends Gilbert and Sullivan.
Places to check out:
Aldinga
1 World, Many Voices (Lumina@25)
Explore music from over a dozen countries—including rhythms of Africa, folk songs from Europe and Asia, and a rollicking sea shanty from New Zealand—in celebration of Lumina’s 25th birthday at the Aldinga Institute Hall.
South Coast Circus Variety Show
Dazzling, daring, and diverse—the South Coast Circus Variety Show is back, and it's bigger, bolder, and more breath-taking than ever before! Join them under their "big top" as they celebrate the incredible talents and diversity of their student base, a vibrant showcase of skills from up-and-coming performers, the “Tribe Team” and seasoned performers.
Granny Flaps - Hot off the Chest Tour
Here comes the award winning comedy act Granny Flaps. This ukulele lady will have you laughing from beginning to end as she explores everything from love and lust in your golden years, to the joys of a Friday night in your 20s.
Places to check out:
McLaren Vale
Clarke and Vadasz
Experience the joyous paintings of lifelong friends and art school contemporaries, Louise Vadasz and ex-Adelaide Fringe Director Greg Clarke at the Fleurieu Arthouse. Both artists share a love of painting colourful landscapes and still life drenched in light.
DOWIE DOOLE and Wine Pairing
Three DOWIE DOOLE wines paired with three locally made chocolates for an indulging tasting experience.
Red Poles First Nations Fringe Festival
This festival will be a vibrant celebration of Indigenous arts and culture, featuring a diverse collection of artworks and artefacts, each bearing the rich cultural heritage and contemporary expressions of these gifted artists—including Vanessa Queama, Melissa Windlass, Emma Palmer and Far West Coast artist Pam Diment. There’ll also be interactive workshops, demonstrations, storytelling and musical experiences, including performances by Glenn Skuthorpe, Thelma Cheechoo and Vern Cheechoo and others.
Places to check out:
Noarlunga Centre
The 60 Four: Live in Concert
Heralded as “Australia’s best tribute act”, The 60 Four—backed by a spectacular nine-piece band—present the biggest hits of the 60s and 70s in an energetic, Las Vegas-style performance at the Hopgood Theatre.
Places to check out:
Old Reynella
Yummy Yummy
Come Feast on SA’s best bands performing at Base 10 Youth Centre on Saturday 2 March. This all ages, alcohol free event will serve up a main course of indie rock band Molly Rocket and exciting entrees of Sunsick Daisy, Violet Harlot and Exit plan.
Vine Street Party
A fun, inclusive and affordable family event on Vine Street, Old Reynella, including Reynella Neighbourhood Centre and Neporendi Aboriginal Community Centre with something for all ages and interests. There will be workshops and performances that celebrate cultural diversity, promote sustainability and encourage creativity, and the performance stage will showcase both young and old performers. There will also be a market area with food and drink for sale.
Places to check out:
Port Noarlunga
The Ephemeral/The Eternal | Sam Howie | Solo [GRAFTd] exhibition
Encompassing Sauerbier House’s spaces with painting-based site-specific installations, The Ephemeral/The Eternal is an exploration of ideas looking to highlight contradictions and similarities in relation to the universal and the particular, the past and the present, and ultimately, a deeper contemplation between the ephemeral and the eternal. The work of Sam Howie remains based on a material exploration of paint, particularly trying to find a balance between viewing paint through the lens of a psychologist, a physicist and an aesthete. Finding signs of the material’s own ontology and how it responds in a variety of situations. Through these situations, his art becomes a philosophic, cultural and spiritual endeavour, questioning works of art in relation to our own existential situation.
Shanelle Franklin & Tamara Linke The Beautiful Nightmare: What A Sham
Multi award-nominated Adelaide comedians, sketch artists and podcasters Shanelle Franklin and Tamara Linke (The Beautiful Nightmare) take to the stage once more at the Arts Centre! An ode to anyone who is flying by the seat of their pants, The Beautiful Nightmare ladies will make you laugh until you cry. So grab your friends, a glass of bubbles and strap in for a night of laughs with sketch comedy, chats, and maybe even a singalong.
A Tribute to John Denver, featuring John Raymond
John Raymond captures the emotions and spirit of John Denver, as he performs songs from this masterful storyteller at Port Noarlunga’s Arts Centre. You’ll be captivated by beautiful ballads, such as Sunshine on my Shoulders and Annie’s Song, right through to more up-tempo foot stomping tunes like, Rocky Mountain High and Grandma’s Feather Bed.
Jesstar Puppet Show
Travel through space and time around the world on an expedition with Jesstar the puppeteer and her puppets. The puppets are on a race set by the King and Merlin the Wizard to find the fastest and most gallant puppet from around the world—with contestants from Mexico, Italy, Australia, China, Ireland and America, competing to win a gold nugget. Along the way, one of the puppets comes to realise that friendship is more important than winning. Accessibility warning: audience members who experience audio sensitivity should note that this show does have some loud noises.
A Creedence Revival
Images of war-torn Vietnam emblazoned across the screen at the Arts Centre will draw you into the world that impacted much of John Fogerty's songwriting. Watch, dance and listen to a world-class band belt out songs we know and love. A show not to be missed.
Places to check out:
Willunga
Domesticity – a concert by Fred Smith and band
After years in Afghanistan, Fred Smith returns with something completely different: reports from the domestic frontier! This concert is a collection of love songs for middle-aged people, having been described as “a stunning cycle of deeply personal songs about marriage, babies, love, tolerance, decency and the complexity of modern life…sublime study in tenderness and vulnerability”. (Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald).
Places to check out:
Woodcroft
Kel & Amy's Comedy Road Trip
SA’s Kel Balnaves and NT’s Amy Hetherington (Best Comedy – Fringe World 2023) have packed the VS Commodore full of relatable stories and piss-funny jokes. They’re heading to regional SA and the ‘burbs. A ripper night out at Woodcroft Hotel’s Big Window Room.
Mocking the Suburbs
How good is the city at Fringe time? Good. If you're into that kind of thing. But what if some of the funniest stand ups were on your doorstep? That'll save you petrol, parking, having to be anywhere near street magicians (eww). Hosted by Jono Makai and featuring four top Fringe comedians, they’re ready to mock the suburbs good and proper at the Woodcroft Hotel’s Big Window Room.
Adelaide Fringe Comedy Showcase
The hilarity and mayhem returns to The Vines Golf Club with a variety of comedy, magic and more, featuring guest comedians, both local and international, from across the Fringe. A laugh after laugh and wow-factor show.
Places to check out: