Adelaide Fringe

Royal Croquet Club Returns To Fringe In New Locations (Yes, There’s More Than One!)

The RCC is moving its hub into the heart of Adelaide, but its plans for 2019 are much bigger than just a move!

Since its foundation all those years ago, the Royal Croquet Club has become as indispensable to the Adelaide Fringe as the iconic Garden of Unearthly Delights. It’s always been the fresh, vibrant, ground breaking Fringe precinct, that delivered high quality Fringe acts, alongside some great entertainment & DJs, killer food, and a festival-ready crowd.

Well things are about to get event better, with the latest announcement from Jason Di Iulio of investment firm 1835 Capital, and the co-founder of CIBO Espresso, Roberto Cardone, who have teamed up to take things to the next level.

RCC Mix Tape

This dynamic duo are reinventing the Royal Croquet Club after buying the event in January, and seeing more than 200,000 people through the Fringe precinct this year.

Jason Di Iulio says “Once Fringe was over, we started looking for the best location for Fringe, for Royal Croquet, and somewhere we could build on the event, and create an excellent experience for the purpose of the Fringe.”

After securing the deal last week, Di Iulio and Cardone today announced that the RCC will be moving its main site across to University of Adelaide, and will be making the most of the sprawling grounds throughout the campus, the lawns, in the uni’s buildings, as well as Bonython Hall, the Braggs Building, and along North Terrace.

Di Iulio says “once we landed on the university and opened a dialogue, it was a natural fit. We both have arts at our heart, and they were very keen to get involved.”

RCC in its original Victoria Square location

And it’s not a one-time thing. The union has been cemented across a very long-term agreement, making it a real game-changer for the Fringe. And for the university too. What better way to showcase their incredible campus, in an engaging, exciting way, to both those visiting from interstate and overseas, and to locals alike. And we can only imagine the flood of fantastic content on social media, showcasing one of Adelaide’s key education hubs to the world!

While the announcement has only just been made, the plans for what’s about to roll out has been underway for months. There are currently two people in Edinburgh, checking out the talent that’s on show for their Fringe festival, and the programming started two months ago.

And given the size of the set up that RCC Fringe will be incorporating, Adelaide’s Fringe will be even more like Edinburgh than ever before.

Keeping with the RCC tradition, there’s set to be a strong music presence (think DJs, bands etc), plus the programming will incorporate activation events run by Adelaide Festival, State Opera, and Writers Week, all within the same period.

Di Iulio says “by using the university’s infrastructure, we’ll be able to deliver things that the Fringe has never seen before” and he also hinted that there will be some culinary activations that will be very different to the traditional RCC offering that’s been around previously.

Stuart Duckworth, who worked on the event last year in Pinky Flat, and founded the original RCC, is coming on board as creative director.

It’s not the end for Pinky Flat though, with the rebirth of RCC Fringe also encompassing events in last year’s River Torrens location, right next to the Next Generation sports complex.

So basically it’s doubling in size, and fabulousness.

Renewal SA North Terrace Light Installation

2019 Adelaide Fringe & RCC Fringe are happening from 15 February – 18 March, 2019.

Stay updated with more Fringe news, RCC developments & what’s happening in SA by subscribing to the Glam Adelaide eNewsletter below.



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