The 2019 Adelaide Fringe is inviting festival-goers to the city’s biggest party of the year lasting 31 days and nights – and it all starts with the spectacular Opening Night festivities from 6pm tomorrow.
Celebrations will kick off with a Street Party and Night Market along War Memorial Drive between King William and Frome Street featuring two stages hosting 35 different acts. These include a ‘Frusic’ space featuring local musicians in conjunction with Music SA.
The banks of the River Torrens/Karrawirra Parri will also be the site of a moving Tindo Utpurndee – Sunset Ceremony at 8.15pm before the stunning cultural interactive projections experience Yabarra: Gathering of Light switches on at 8.30pm.
The free immersive installation along both sides of the river near the University of Adelaide footbridge will run for all 31 nights.
Adelaide Fringe Director and CEO Heather Croall said the River Torrens would come alive with powerful cultural storytelling and dazzling performances to kick off a month of divine madness.
“We’re so excited to be activating such a beautiful part of Adelaide’s CBD and transforming it into a lively gathering place where festival-goers can come down for our Opening Night fun and frivolity,” Ms Croall said.
“Then on every night of the festival we’ll have the amazing large-scale light and sound installation lighting up the river sharing the ancient local Kaurna culture through modern technologies like digital projections, giant inflatable animals and other interactive projects along the riverbank.
“We owe a great deal of thanks to Yabarra: Gathering of Light Creative Cultural Producer Karl Telfer for his vital input into making this inaugural event happen, along with Cindi Drennan and her team at Illuminart for putting together a truly stunning collection of digital projections and installations that will take the audience on a journey that is like nothing Adelaide has seen before.
This year’s Adelaide Fringe will be more accessible than ever with a recently appointed Diversity and Access Co-ordinator overseeing new initiatives such as a 2019 Access Guide and the recruitment of 20 volunteer Access Champions to review the accessibility of Fringe venues and support patrons with their access requirements.
Earlier tomorrow, free performances will begin at Fringe in the Mall under the Gawler Place Canopy, Rundle Mall, with artists taking to the stage from 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm. If audience members like what they see, they can purchase tickets from the self-collect ticket machines on site or at the nearby FringeTIX Rundle Mall Box Office.
On Saturday, Fringe at IKEA Adelaide will see free Fringe performances pop up in the store from 11am as part of a new partnership with the international retailer.
The 2019 Adelaide Fringe program is bursting with 1326 events presented by more than 7000 artists across a variety of genres – comedy (340 events), music (276), theatre (156), cabaret (135), visual art & design (86), children’s events (77), events (75), circus & physical theatre (52), dance (36), interactive (36), magic (25), workshops & talks (22) and film & digital (10).
Of the 517 venues hosting Fringe events, new additions include A Club Adelaide, The National Wine Centre, the GC at Grand Central and the SA Jockey Club at Morphettville Racecourse. Returning favourites include The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Gluttony and RCC Fringe – along with Tandanya, Rhino Room and Holden Street Theatres.
Ticket sales for this year’s festival have so far exceeded 200,000 (worth more than $5 million) and are up by 25 per cent on the same time last year.
The 2019 Adelaide Fringe will run from February 15 to March 17. For more information, including Opening Night road closures, visit adelaidefringe.com.au.
Find all the latest Fringe news & review here.
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