Sydney Fringe Festival has today unveiled an extraordinary 2024 program, featuring over 400 events spanning theatre, music, comedy, dance, visual art, circus, and cabaret, presented across Sydney from 1 – 30 September 2024. Tickets are now on sale, with highlights including two headline shows by the triple Grammy award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir, an expanded takeover of The Rocks as part of the vibrant Sydney Fringe Sideshow, and Fringe’s first-ever Queer Hub at Qtopia Sydney, amplifying the voices of LGBTQIA+ storytellers.
This year, Sydney Fringe Festival taps into the city’s cultural landscape by creating four distinct precincts: the Inner West Precinct, Central Precinct, Eastern Precinct, and Greater Sydney Precinct. From vibrant urban centres to historic suburbs, each precinct offers a tailored experience that resonates with local narratives, fostering a deeper connection between festival-goers and the city’s diverse communities.
CEO and Festival Director Kerri Glasscock expressed excitement about the festival’s return: “Sydney Fringe Festival is back and better than ever with an incredible program platforming authentic stories, fresh talent, uplifting entertainment, and boundary-pushing events. We’re thrilled to be activating new parts of the city, driving connectivity and community in unusual and unused spaces, and taking advantage of Sydney’s unique live performance venues like Machine Hall and the launch of the festival-first Queer Hub at Qtopia Sydney.”
Joining the diverse mix of local and international acts taking over the city for the whole month of September, audiences are especially captivated by the inspirational and life-affirming Soweto Gospel Choir, who will perform across two headline shows.
The Spiegeltent Festival Garden at the Entertainment Quarter within the Eastern Precinct features a dynamic line-up of live performance, music, circus, drag, and more. Headlining the iconic Sydney Spiegeltent throughout September is the smash hit History of House, an exhilarating trip through the history of dance music. This collaboration between ARIA-nominated DJ Groove Terminator and Soweto Gospel Choir is a dancefloor-exploding celebration of dance music through the decades.
Soweto Gospel Choir also brings their all-new concert Hope, featuring a rousing program of songs and anthems from the Freedom movement of Nelson Mandela’s South Africa to the Civil Rights movement of Martin Luther King’s 1950s America, celebrating the unique power of African Gospel music.
Darling Quarter at Darling Harbour will house a newly expanded second Festival Garden. The Village Green Festival Garden features four full weeks of comedy, drag, and circus programming, including the Melbourne-based punk comedy duo Otto & Astrid. The Garden will also host the kids mini-festival Fringe Kids during the first week of school holidays.
The Streets of Barangaroo in the Central Precinct will be activated with collaborative events and performances, including Two Strangers Walk Into A Bar…, an immersive experience connecting two strangers through an audio-guided tour conceived by Australian actor Tilda Cobham-Hervey.
Sydney’s newest live performance space and former substation Machine Hall will host a dynamic series of events titled A Mark Of Good Taste, presented by Maker’s Mark. Highlights include Just Desserts, an intimate evening of songs with future-soul superstar Ngaiire in collaboration with pastry chef Anna Polyviou. Audiences will savour Ngaiire’s signature neo-soul, gospel and pop, while enjoying a dessert bar and Maker’s Mark cocktails, surrounded by vibrant floral artistry by ACID FLWRS.
The dynamic Sydney Fringe Sideshow returns to The Rocks, featuring immersive and experiential shows performed in pop-up spaces, including the ultimate pop-up musical theatre club Lola’s Piano Bar and the Multicultural Comedy Hub at 37 George Street.
This year also welcomes the Queer Hub at Qtopia Sydney, the Off Broadway Hub at Turner Hall at TAFE Ultimo, the First Nations Hub at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, and the Dance Hub at Sydney Dance Company’s Neilson Studio, all offering a rich array of performances celebrating diverse voices and art forms.
Rounding off the program, FEAST at Hurstville Entertainment Centre and Fringe Comedy at The Factory Theatre promise an incredible lineup of local and international talent, ensuring there’s something for everyone at the 2024 Sydney Fringe Festival. Tickets are now available at Sydney Fringe Festival’s website.