17 must-see shows at Adelaide Fringe Festival 2024

More than a decade since it first premiered, this saucy and spellbinding circus show, by the Blanc de Blanc crew, is drawing crowds back to the big tent. Audiences will be kept on the edge of their seats with a seductive mix of cabaret, circus and acrobatics, performed to a backdrop of heart-pounding live music and hectic strobe lighting. The international cast is led by New York’s Jank maestro Sxip Shirey and also features Bulgarian aerialist Maria Moncheva (Harry Potter – Germany), slack rope daredevil David Marco and fire-eating singer Clara Fable. Warning: We’d suggest leaving the kids at home.

When: February 27 to March 10

Where: The Flamingo at Gluttony

The b*tch is back! After his spine-shattering fall off a four-metre stage, international cabaret and comedy sensation Hans (America’s Got Talent) returns to Australia with his biggest tour yet. He struts the stage and works the crowd, covered in glitter from head to toe, as he performs a party line-up of Australian anthems, disco bops, accordion riffs and even a jazzy piano solo. You’ll laugh, you’ll dance, you’ll cry and you’ll leave wishing you could be the back-up dancer at Hans’ next show.

When: February 27 to March 10

Where: The Flamingo at Gluttony

Follow the tracks down Adelaide’s forgotten railway to discover Sleep’s Hill Tunnel’s past life as a mushroom farm. This exclusive sneak peek into the tunnel features spectacular light shows and life-size installations, including soothing time-lapse footage of fungi growing, glow-in-the-dark sculptures, a kaleidoscopic mirror tunnel and more. You won’t want the 377-metre-long journey to end.

When: February 16 to March 17

Where: Sleep’s Hill Tunnel

Expect a magical night out at this neon-lit cocktail bar popping up at The Garden of Unearthly Delights – not just metaphorically, but an actual magic-filled evening featuring a line-up of magician superstars direct from Japan. There's no stage for the performers here as the intimate show will take place right at your table, where you'll be just inches away from the bamboozling sleight-of-hand magic. While you enjoy the show, you'll sip on bespoke cocktails mixed by a Japanese master mixologist.

When: February 16 to March 17

Where: Maho Magic Bar at The Garden of Unearthly Delights

As night falls, the Botanic Garden transforms into an immersive outdoor art gallery featuring projected and immersive artworks of diverse natural ecosystems and storytelling. Follow the bright lights and mystical sounds along the garden trail where you’ll encounter works from award-winning artists, including ‘Borealis’ by Dan Archer, ‘ArchiBio’ by Andrej Boleslavsky and ‘The Spirit Lives On’ by Ngarrindjeri woman, Nicole Gollan in partnership with Same River Studio. You’ll want to bring the whole family along for this one.

When: February 23 to March 17

Where: Adelaide Botanic Gardens

Fresh from her debut as the first Australian queen on a global season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Logie-nominated superstar Kween Kong is bringing her sweetness and sass to Adelaide Fringe. Over five sparkly nights, Kween Kong will host a drag meets dinner party experience featuring a dazzling and diverse mix of drag queens, burlesque artists, cabaret singers and mystery guests. Australia's RnB soul songstress and The Voice contestant Prinnie Stevens will take over as host of Black Puddin’ from February 25 to March 17.

When: February 16 to March 17

Where: TRYP Pulteney Street Adelaide 

This immersive theatrical dinner experience based on the beloved BBC has been a hit since its debut in Brisbane all the way back in 1997. Faulty Towers The Dining Experience now tours Australia year-round and is ideal for people who don’t enjoy sitting in a traditional theatre – you get to eat, drink, talk and move around throughout the show. Expect a ’70s-style three-course meal, alongside two hours of gags and shambolic service from Basil, Sybil and Manuel. 

When: February 17 to March 10

Where: Terrace Hotel Adelaide

Forty-five minutes into Josh Thomas’s solo show, he grabs a broom and breaks into a languidly executed and bizarrely brilliant dance routine that belies the unlikely sex symbol that he is to many Australian millennials. This sets the scene for Let’s Tidy Up – an erratic but engaging, wicked-smart but infinitely endearing comedy show that is ostensibly about one of the most mundane of domestic tasks.

When: March 5-10

Where: The Vagabond at The Garden of Unearthly Delights

It’s time to submit yourself to the bodyssey, as this troupe of comedy acrobats serve up a mix of storytelling, circus and physical prowess of godlike proportions. Ascend to the heavens as you take a hedonistic dive head-first into the lives of the ancient gods of Olympus. Follow the likes of Cupid and Hercules as they paint the scene of Ancient Greece and bring you to the biggest party to hit Mount Olympus since 500 BCE – in a glittering Spiegeltent, where shows like this are best served. 

When: February 20 to March 17

Where: The Vault at Fool’s Paradise

After premiering as a Best In Comedy finalist at Sydney Fringe 2023, the world’s first live-action video game comedy, Karate Man, will make its Adelaide debut this March. Audience members take the leading role in this choose-your-own-adventure show and will use a Bluetooth video game controller to command the Karate Man through challenges, skits and character encounters. 

When: March 11-17

Where: Secret Basement @ WEA

This devilish display of modern queer burlesque will leave you wanting to sign up to the church of Reuben Kaye. Returning to Adelaide Fringe in 2024, the award-winning drag artist and comedian will present the hottest late-night line-up of cabaret stars performing the riskiest and most diverse acts, all backed by a live band. You’ll never want to crawl out of this Kaye Hole.

When: March 8-16

Where: The Vagabond at The Garden of Unearthly Delights

Performing a circus act while getting absolutely soaked sounds like quite a recipe for disaster. The only way to survive? Adding a bit of cheeky humour and non-stop clowning to the mix. This queer circus spectacle won the weekly award for Best Circus at Adelaide Fringe 2023, so you can bet tickets will sell out fast. 

When: March 5-17

Where: The Bunker at Fool’s Paradise 

How did one of the world’s most celebrated authors become one of the most hated? In this rare literary event, join Harry Potter author JK Rowling (as played by Anna Piper Scott) for an exclusive one-on-one interview. While some consider Rowling the saviour of modern feminism, others consider her the face of a hate movement; An Evening with JK pits these forces against one another. It will be a must-see for book lovers, feminists and women of all backgrounds.

When: March 12-17

Where: The Chapel at The Courtyard of Curiosities at the Migration Museum

Is there anything more nightmarish than exposing the tell-all diary that is your phone's notes app? Save yourself the trauma with Hot Department, an Australian debut show that sees award-winning comedy duo Patrick Durnan Silva and Honor Wolff present sketches from their own notes apps and therapy sessions.

When: February 27 to March 3

Where: The Bally at Gluttony

This powerful new dance work is a compelling fusion of Japanese Taiko percussion and captivating contemporary dance, performed live by a high calibre ensemble of Australian musicians and dancers at the pinnacle of their crafts. You’ll witness an all-female troupe of dancers leaping in the air and showcasing their strength as Taiko musicians play rousing rhythms. Water Mirror was nominated for the Best Dance Award at Sydney Fringe Festival 2022, and now makes its South Australian debut two years later.

When: March 15-17

Where: Main Theatre at Adelaide College of the Arts

If you love words as much as veteran bookworm Emma Knights, head along to Turning the Page. For her new original music show, Knights has created a collection of songs inspired by certain lines from books and also from the authors’ words reimagined, including Pride and Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables. Expect to hear songs that grapple with topics of imagination, climate change, social justice, mental health and how, if we turn the page, we might just be able to start a new chapter.

When: February 25 and March 5

Where: Orchard Bookshop and State Library of South Australia

Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer, explores quantum mechanics in a way that is theatrical and funny, one subatomic particle at a time. Rayner is a physicist, performer and poet. And if you don’t believe her science, she’ll seek the voice of a dead white male to ensure you do. Atomically Correct comes to Perth after launching at Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2023 to rave reviews and even a recommendation by the State’s Governor General. “We’re not splitting the atom, we’re building it,” says Rayner. “We’ll find out how, even though we’re mostly nothing, we still matter – just like Ken.” This show will remind you just how beautifully atomically correct we are.

When: February 22 to March 3

Where: Little Bang Brewing Co