It’s time for the Sydney Fringe!

This is an exciting time of year for Sydney theatre-lovers with the third annual Sydney Fringe festival kicking off from 7 September. A young, but already much-loved, fixture on the Sydney performance circuit, the Fringe will bring over three weeks of theatre, music, dance, film, art, comedy and events to various venues around Sydney.

With over 250 shows across 75 venues, the Sydney Fringe is becoming a leading contender, holding its own against international festivals such as the Edinburgh Fringe. This year, a new venue has been added to the list, with The Playhouse at the Sydney Opera House now hosting Fringe performances. This is a classy addition to an already solid list of venues, proving that the Fringe has come a long way in its three years on the scene.

The festival will kick off with a free street party on Friday 7 September. From 5pm, revellers can head to Newtown Square (outside the Hub), for a night of DJs, performers and artists. Throughout the festival, the Fringe will have an official festival bar, Five Eliza. Located at 5 Eliza Street (in the Newtown School of Arts building), the bar will be in action from 1 September. With free Wi-Fi and coffee, this is the place to go to get information about everything that’s happening during the Fringe, as well as buy tickets, join classes and events, or just hang out and soak up the festival vibe.

The Sydney Fringe 2012 guide (available online at sydneyfringe.com ) lists all the events and performances happening throughout September. This fabulous program features fringe acts from all over Australia. These include the internationally award-winning play Love Thee; Damian Callinan’s (from Spicks and Specks and Skithouse) one-man show The Merger; Cathy Down’s The Case of Katherine Mansfield; and Footprints on the Water, a fable by award winning playwright Matt Cameron.

For Sydney theatre-goers this is a great chance to come along and support theatre that takes risks and challenges the ideas of traditional performance. It’s also a great opportunity to support a newly formed Australian fringe festival that’s on its way to becoming an internationally renowned event. Whatever your tastes, the Sydney Fringe looks set to tickle the fancy of even the most particular art or performance lover, with a diverse and electric range of performances.

Dates: 7 Sep – 30 Sep

Venue: Various venues throughout Sydney

Tickets and Information: sydneyfringe.com or (02) 9020 6980