Sydney Fringe Festival launches with over 350 events across the city for the month of September
Sydney Fringe Festival launches this week with a dynamic program of more than 350 events across 64 venues taking over the city this September through October. The Festival officially kicks off on Saturday 29 August with Fringe Ignite!, transforming Stanley Street into a free celebration of independent culture, with roving performers, live music, boundary-pushing acts, and a taste of what’s to come across this year’s program.
Plus, Lane Cove Festival @ Sydney Fringe returns for a second year at The Canopy on Thursday 4 September, Darlinghurst’s Eternity Playhouse opens its doors as the home of the Off Broadway Hub, Made in Sydney showcases the best of Sydney’s independent theatre-makers across two weeks at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, and Fringe on The Rocks returns as a playground of curiosity.
Spanning theatre, music, comedy, dance, visual art, circus, and cabaret, Sydney Fringe Festival program highlights include:
To mark the official opening of the festival, Sydney Fringe kicks off with Fringe Ignite!, a free street party, on Saturday 29 August that transforms Darlinghurst’s beloved Stanley Street into a vibrant celebration of live music and performance. An all-ages celebration of independent culture, the event brings together live music, comedy, circus, dance, roaming performers and food for an afternoon and evening of discovery and entertainment. Fringe Ignite! is part of the NSW Government’s Open Streets Program, led by Transport for NSW.
An exciting line up of immersive and experiential shows as part of Fringe on The Rocks from 2 September – 11 October. Highlights include Copa on The Rocks, presented by CINCiN, a singalong piano bar hosted by Andrew Bukenya transforming Atherden Street into a glamourous cabaret lounge each night from 2 September – 11 October; the Boomalli: On the Fringes exhibition showcasing works by artists from across NSW Aboriginal Language Groups; and Doppelgängster’s anarchic anti-theatre spectacle Cold War 2.0, blending cheap illusions, punk energy and political satire.
A new Sydney Fringe Festival Hub at Marrickville Town Hall will bring a diverse program of performances to the Inner West throughout September, alongside a dedicated series of masterclasses, workshops and panel discussions for artists. The professional development program spans everything from movement and theatre-making to practical industry advice, including a dance workshop with choreographer Bonnie Curtis, a maximalist theatre masterclass with Melbourne award-winner Ben Ashby, and panel discussions exploring touring pathways and grant writing for independent artists.
Acclaimed Irish performance artist Luke Casserly’s Distillation, presented in partnership with Museums of History NSW at Vaucluse House from 22 – 25 September, transporting audiences to the Irish bog landscape in a deeply immersive experience exploring memory, landscape and our enduring relationship with place.
Lane Cove Festival @ Sydney Fringe returns with a month-long celebration of arts, culture and community. Highlights include the free launch night on 4 September at The Canopy, featuring a dynamic mix of live music, cabaret, dance, circus, comedy and street surprises; a special Best of Fringe season at Pottery Lane Performance Space from 23 – 26 September, bringing four standout Sydney Fringe shows to Lane Cove, including Gia Ophelia, winner of the Festival’s Best Emerging Artist Award in 2025; and the return of Dear Stranger, a letter-writing adventure for curious kids created by artist Tilda Cobham-Hervey, from 30 September – 4 October.
Made in Sydney at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists from 2 – 26 September, featuring the return of legendary sketch group Frumpus with their show Landed, which sees three shifty women and their fanged sock puppets embody an unabashed lineup of characters; and ICHOR, directed by John Fabry, a visceral exploration of conformity, identity and self-acceptance.
Yalgali, Sydney Fringe’s dedicated First Nations program celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling, culture and community continues to grow in 2026. Highlights include Toni Janke’s powerful and poetic new musical work Inheritance by Toni Janke, and the acclaimed contemporary dance production Sitting Ganaay. Plus, a Yalgali favourite, Open Mic Night will return at Eora TAFE on 9 September.
The Off Broadway Hub at the Eternity Playhouse from 2 – 26 September, presenting bold and innovative shows across theatre, music, contemporary dance and cabaret, including the Sydney debut of rising Australian choreographer-director Tegan Jeffrey-Rushton’s award-winning immersive dance work OVERTURE.
Touring Hub at New Theatre from 16 – 26 September, featuring a diverse lineup of boundary-pushing shows from the international Fringe circuit. Highlights include multi-award-winning storyteller Yoz Mensch’s My Grandpa Doesn’t Follow Me On Instagram: A Guide To Trans-generational Road-Tripping, a vivid pilgrimage through familial grief to queer joy; and Ben Ashby’s fierce, existential crisis at the rave that has swept up 21 awards and nominations across the Melbourne and New Zealand Fringe Festival circuit, Motion Sickness.
FEAST by Chinese-Australian writer, comedian, and food enthusiast Jennifer Wong back by popular demand at Hurstville Entertainment Centre on 10 September. Plus the brand new FEAST: Chaat Show Edition on 12 September serves up a joyful mix of stories, laughter and Indian afternoon tea with some of Australia’s best-known food personalities and comedians including Flyover Fritterie founder Gunjan Aylawadi, MasterChef Australia’s Depinder Chhibber, and comedians Suraj Kolarkar and Jennifer Wong.
The Queer Hub is back at Qtopia Sydney with 20 performances for a full month take-over from 2 – 26 September. Highlights include the Sydney debut of cult favourite Freidah Will See You Now, an offbeat theatrical journey into the afterlife from Melbourne artist Caitlin Duff; the sensual musical cabaret Black Widow: Sex, Bugs & A High Death Toll; and award-winning New Zealand comedian and Canada’s Drag Race writer Marshall Lorenzo’s Decadunce, a wildly inventive sketch comedy extravaganza that revels in camp spectacle, absurdity and unapologetic queer joy.
The return of LIMITLESS championing the work of d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists across multiple venues from 10 – 30 September. Highlights include Spectrum at Erskineville Town Hall from 15 – 19 September, an award-winning solo performance blending spoken word, movement and live visual art to explore the experience of growing up feeling out of step with the world.
TheLab@UNSW presented by UNSW’s School of Arts & Media from 16 – 26 September. Highlights include Sitting Ganaay, a solo contemporary dance work grounded in story, memory and the embodiment of history, exploring grief, invisibility and intergenerational survival through movement and storytelling.
Fringe Kids presented by Ingenia Holiday Parks, a dedicated school holiday program bringing the best in children’s theatre, circus and family entertainment to audiences throughout the October holidays. Highlights include All Star Circus, a high-energy showcase of spectacular circus, daring acrobatics and laugh-out-loud physical comedy, alongside family favourite The Flying Bubble Show, which combines comedy, magic and giant bubbles in an interactive performance for all ages.
Fool’s Paradise garden presented by Head First Acrobats at The Entertainment Quarter with 35 performances until 11 October. Highlights include The Return of the Godz, which reimagines Greek mythology through breathtaking circus, acrobatics and theatrical spectacle, bringing legendary heroes and deities to life in an epic production.
Minister for Transport, Minister for Arts, Minister for Music and the Night-Time Economy, John Graham :
With all of its colour, creativity and community, the Sydney Fringe Festival has become one the most exciting events of the year. We’re excited to see the Fringe Ignite street party bring Stanley Street to life and kick off another incredible festival.