2026 Adelaide Fringe - It's a Wrap!

What just happened?!

The 2026 Adelaide Fringe season at Goodwood Theatre & Studios has wrapped, and we’re still catching our breath in the best possible way.

This year felt different. Bigger, bolder, and more connection than ever before. Every corner of the venue and Victoria Lane was alive with energy, risk-taking, and an incredible sense of shared purpose.

With the support of the City of Unley and the Adelaide Fringe Foundation we were able to push boundaries by creating a space where artists could be brave, audiences could discover something new, and community could truly come together.

What unfolded was a meaningful meeting place. A creative home. A celebration of what’s possible when people show up for each other.

The Year of the Horse

This year felt different. The alignment of the opening night with Lunar New Year (Year of the Horse) added a symbolic resonance celebrating courage, momentum, and creative risk-taking.

From the moment we opened VICTORIA LANE: Glimmer  there was a shift. An energy. A sense that something special was unfolding, not just in the work on stage, but in the way people connected, supported each other, and showed up.

And you showed up in a big way.

What we’re most proud of isn’t just the scale. It’s the spirit. This year, artists didn’t compete, they supported. They shared audiences, lifted each other up, and celebrated every win together.

That’s the kind of space we believe in and the kind of community we’re building.

Our 2026 Program

Our 2026 program was a perfectly curated mix of international, national, and local productions, with a strong focus on local theatre and dance, local emerging artists and visual arts.

🔥 33 shows (7 sold-out seasons)

🔥 222 performance slots (33 sold-out shows)

🔥 3 venues running back-to-back for 5 weeks

The presence of major international work, particularly CADEL: Lungs on Legs, our largest international presentation to date, elevated the profile of the program and drew significant new audiences to our venue.

Participation & Attendance

• 298 artists and creatives participated in the program

• 33 volunteers

• 22 staff

• 10 local businesses

• 7,920 tickets were sold through FringeTix

• 993 people engaged with Victoria Lane and Prism

• 8,913 attendees

Award Highlights

🏆 Weekly Award Best Community Event – VICTORIA LANE: Glimmer 

🏆 Weekly Award Best Dance – Alix Kuijpers: New Romantics

🏆 Weekly Award Best Theatre – Cadel: Lungs on Legs

🏆 Most Inclusive Show – Dead Darling Theatre: Bitch Boxer

🏆 Carclew Award – Perhaps Theatre: the worst of us & play

And behind these awards? Artists taking risks. Backing themselves. Travelling across the world, sometimes knowing no one and still stepping onto our stages with courage and authenticity.

VICTORIA LANE: Glimmer

VICTORIA LANE: Glimmer was a five-week immersive festival activation held at Goodwood Theatre & Studios, integrating live performances, visual arts, and community engagement.

VICTORIA LANE: Glimmer became something we could only have hoped for - a vibrant, open, electric hub. With five visual art projections each week (Fire, Earth, Wind, Water & Ether), the stunning PRISM exhibition created with Hart Street Art, and a constant stream of live DJs, musicians and performers, the laneway transformed into a space where people could gather, discover, and belong.

The event included:

• Five large-scale visual arts projections 8-10pm

• PRISM, an immersive exhibition created by Hart Street Art

• Live performances from most of the 33 companies in the GTS program

• Local DJs, bands, and solo performers activating the laneway Thursday-Sunday evenings from 6-8pm and showcasing 36 musicians and artists

• A total of 993 people attended the venue just to see something free and participate in the immersive experience

The event celebrated inclusivity, accessibility, and community, supporting local, national, and international artists while creating a vibrant cultural precinct for audiences of all backgrounds.

PRISM by Hart Street Art

PRISM was an immersive art experience by Aggie Stav creator of Hart Street Art.

Through mirrored surfaces and installations, audiences were invited to see, feel, and play with reflection itself. Shifting with your movement, what you see depends on where you stand and discover the beauty that glimmers just beneath the surface. PRISM was a celebration of perspective, presence, and the art of seeing differently.

Emerging artist John Ioannou, known for photographing raw human emotion and the pulse of real life, joined Aggie Stav. Together, they create a dialogue between artist, audience, and image: a reflection of the world as it moves, glows, and changes.

What People Said...

Goodwood Theatre & Studios is deeply grateful to be part of an authentic arts festival like Adelaide Fringe and receive such positive and inspiring feedback from our audiences, artists and community members.

“This feels like a real community, not just a venue.” Lisa Shaw - Neighbour

“I’ve never experienced anything like this in the Adelaide theatre scene - it feels real here" Visiting Artist

"You can feel the love between the artists here.” Hannah Smith - Artist

“It’s welcoming, it’s exciting… it feels like home.” Liv Tennet - International Artist

"It's such a clean venue that has a warmth about it as soon as you enter" Audience Member from CADEL: Lungs on Legs

"So cute...so funky and cool outside...an epic venue - seriously cool" Audience Member from Me Inside of Me

Feedback is everything to us. It Inspires us to create a dynamic, inclusive, and accessible venue where artists feel safe and empowered to take risks, share bold new work, and connect with enthusiastic audiences.

If you have any feedback, thoughts, or stories to share we would love to sit down and have a yarn with you, we’re all ears.

The People Who Made It Happen

We could not have done this without the support of the Adelaide Fringe Foundation and the City of Unley - thank you for backing bold ideas and helping us create something truly special.

To our artists: Connor Delves, Tracy Crisp, Danielle Greaves, Dead Darling Theatre, Ballet Rogue, New Romantics, Alix Kuijpers, Hot Sauce Burlesque, Steps & Holes Theatre, Perhaps Theatre, Deus Ex Femina, Lauren Hance, Joylyn Secunda, Lucia Mallardi, Me 'n' Me Mates, Co-Exist, Aimee Raitman, Lost Theatre Co, Actually Acting Youth Theatre, Culture Media Theatre, April Albert, Lindi Jane, Jasmine Story, Melody Rachel, MT, Zoe Oh Gee, Lily Mitchell, Wee Stu, Kat Coppock, Marcus Collingwood, Aggie Stav, Steven Durey, Silk Productions, Marley Love, Jason Lee, Baxter Glancey, Thomas, Paul Fisher, Driving Doris, Three Blonde Mice, Soul Keepers, Krystal Cave and Hart Street Art. You are the heart of everything. Thank you for your bravery, your creativity, and your trust.

To our staff: Steven Durey, Trystan Haigh, Matthew Gorgula, Richard Parkhill, David Bailiht, Kat Coppock, Tim Freeman, James Watson, Aggie Stav, Krystal Cave, Meg Drechsler, Monica Paterson, John Ioannou, Silk Productions, Poppy Lindsell, Ryan Metcalf, Betina Hammond, Marcus Collingwood & Brian our cleaner. You are all legends, a dream team we are very proud of. We couldn’t have done it without you.

And our extraordinary volunteers: Meg Drechsler, Zazie Newall, Carys Barritt-Jones, Grace-Emily Manders, Chloe Shepard, Elena Pico, Joshua Watts, Tina Turci, Kerryn Roberts, Michael Thomas, Judy Fitzpatrick, Julie Ann Hine, Julianne Simpson, Hudson Kerr, Priscia Harrison, Susan Chyer, Susan Goodman, Jaye Hayes, Katrina Peacock, Roger Weiss, Helen Iley, Kylie Jellett, Paraskevi Kosti-Hannan, Harrison Daly, Rowan Ross, Charlotte Meekins, Beth Mooney, Krystal Cave, Emelia Williams, Bodhi Clarke, Stuart Campbell, Daryl Parker, Lisa Shaw, Kirsty Summers & Elena Venturini the legend.  Thank you for countless late nights, problem-solving, smiling, welcoming… you are extraordinary.

To our local businesses: Eggless, Pizza Pizzaz, The Suburban Brew, RittWatchman & Associates, Capri Cinema, Gingers, Pretty Petal, Goodwood Books, Miss Moody, Goodwood Pharmacy, The Goody Hotel & Goodwood Road Business Association. Thank you for being part of the journey and helping us create a thriving precinct.

To our neighbours thank you for embracing the energy and spirit of the season once again. Your understanding, support and community-mindedness are the foundation of everything we do.

To our generous sponsors and partners: Beyond Bank, Coriole, Inventure Partners, Paden Printers, The Suburban Brew, The Goody, City of Unley, Adelaide Fringe Foundation & CreateSA. Thank you for your belief in us, we couldn't survive without your support.

And to our audiences you are the reason this all exists. Your curiosity, your openness, your willingness to take a chance on something new… that’s what keeps this alive.

Until Next Time...

We set out to create something inclusive. Something bold. Something that felt like a home.

And this year, we did it! But this is just the beginning. There’s something building here in Victoria Lane. You can feel it. And we can’t wait to dream and share what comes next.

✨ Thank you for being part of the Fringe GLIMMER with us. ✨

Please stay connected with us. We have so much more coming your way.

See you soon!

Best,

Chris & Simi

*Photo Credits By Razan Fakhouri