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Take a breath - phew. it’s 2025, and the Adelaide Fringe is back, bigger, bolder, and more mind-blowingly brilliant than ever. The energy is electric, the line-up is stacked, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed by choice, don’t worry, I’ve got you.
As someone who has been deep in the Fringe scene for nearly a decade (seriously, how did that happen?), I know what’s worth your time. From reviewing my very first shows back in 2017 to now running a whole damn podcast about it, I’ve seen it all - comedy that made me cry (in a good way), circus acts that defied physics (and your regular pilates class), and performances so weird they left a permanent mark on my soul.
This year, I’m bringing you a hand-picked list of must-see shows, with some extra intel from my (hot and dreamy) boyfriend who back in the day, worked five years behind the scenes at Fringe and has seen his fair share of wonderous, weird and wacky shows.
So, without further ado, let’s get into these ten specially selected top shows you cannot miss at the Adelaide Fringe 2025!
The Presets DJ Set
Sat, 15 Mar
The Fantail (open-air) at Gluttony - Rymill Park
$88 - grab your tickets
Get ready to hit the dancefloor! Powerhouse electronic duo The Presets are bringing their legendary beats to The Fantail at Gluttony for a Saturday night spectacular. With two decades of banger after banger under their belts, these award-winning hitmakers have ignited clubs and festivals across the globe... and now, it’s our turn. Expect an electrifying DJ set packed with high-energy music, mind-blowing visuals, and probably a few locals down the back sucking on lollipops. This is one night only, and not one to miss for anyone who's knees are going to hurt the next day (hovering around 30).
$88 - grab your tickets
Get ready to hit the dancefloor! Powerhouse electronic duo The Presets are bringing their legendary beats to The Fantail at Gluttony for a Saturday night spectacular. With two decades of banger after banger under their belts, these award-winning hitmakers have ignited clubs and festivals across the globe... and now, it’s our turn. Expect an electrifying DJ set packed with high-energy music, mind-blowing visuals, and probably a few locals down the back sucking on lollipops. This is one night only, and not one to miss for anyone who's knees are going to hurt the next day (hovering around 30).
Fancy Feast: Rundle Mall
Fri, 21 Feb - Sun, 23 Feb
The Box at ARTHUR ARTHOUSE
$20 - grab your tickets
Melbourne’s comedy scene is letting Adelaide borrow two of its finest - just for a little while.
These comedians might hail from across the border, but don’t hold that against them. They’re here, they’re funny, and they’re ready to make you laugh (or at least politely chuckle; no pressure). Expect sharp, offbeat, and delightfully absurd comedy that’ll have you questioning everything from where Adelaide actually is, to the name of Rundle Mall’s itself.
If you love your comedy with a side of existential whimsy, this is one not to miss. Plus, Wil Anderson himself called one of them “An Australian Mitch Hedberg,” so you know you’re in for a good time.
Gluttony Closing Party
$20 - grab your tickets
Melbourne’s comedy scene is letting Adelaide borrow two of its finest - just for a little while.
These comedians might hail from across the border, but don’t hold that against them. They’re here, they’re funny, and they’re ready to make you laugh (or at least politely chuckle; no pressure). Expect sharp, offbeat, and delightfully absurd comedy that’ll have you questioning everything from where Adelaide actually is, to the name of Rundle Mall’s itself.
If you love your comedy with a side of existential whimsy, this is one not to miss. Plus, Wil Anderson himself called one of them “An Australian Mitch Hedberg,” so you know you’re in for a good time.
Gluttony Closing Party
Sun, 23 Mar
The Fantail (open-air) at Gluttony - Rymill Park
$18 to $25 - grab your tickets
$18 to $25 - grab your tickets
Fringe might be wrapping up when this show comes around, but that doesn’t mean the party has to!
Gluttony is throwing one final hurrah to send off the season in style, and you’re officially invited. On the last Sunday night of Fringe, The Fantail, Gluttony’s biggest and best venue, transforms into a dancefloor under the stars. Expect epic beats from DJ Nelya, DJ Groove Terminator, and DJ Hans, plus special guests bringing music, dance, and even a bit of circus magic.
This is your last chance to soak up that glorious Fringe energy. We’ll be partying until 11pm - just enough time for one final boogie and a decent night’s sleep before the Monday reality hits. See you there!
Eric’s Tales of the Sea – A Submariner’s Yarn
Wed, 12 Mar - Fri, 14 Mar
Georgie's Bar at Woodville Town Hall
$5 to $30 - grab your tickets
Deep beneath the waves, secrets lurk… and Eric is here to spill (some of) them.
Straight from the depths of the Royal Navy, Eric’s Tales of the Sea is a one-man show packed with stories from his time as a submariner. From encounters with sharks to near-death submarine escapes, Eric delivers interesting, shocking and unbelievable yarns - all within the limits of the 'Official Secrets Act'. Climb aboard... if you dare.
George Glass' Cigarettes The Musical
$5 to $30 - grab your tickets
Straight from the depths of the Royal Navy, Eric’s Tales of the Sea is a one-man show packed with stories from his time as a submariner. From encounters with sharks to near-death submarine escapes, Eric delivers interesting, shocking and unbelievable yarns - all within the limits of the 'Official Secrets Act'. Climb aboard... if you dare.
George Glass' Cigarettes The Musical
Thu, 13 Mar - Sun, 23 Mar
Main Stage at ARTHUR ARTHOUSE
$20 to $27 - grab your tickets
Could you sell one of the biggest killers on the planet? The wildly unhinged minds behind Scientology The Musical and Bradbury The Musical sure can.
Enter the world of big tobacco, big money, and even bigger moral dilemmas in this absurd, laugh-out-loud musical comedy from George Glass. When the gang is approached to write a musical promoting smoking, things spiral faster than a lit cigarette in a gusty CBD laneway.
Expect live funk rock, outrageous costumes, and more fake blood than you’d think a tobacco-themed show would require. It’s sharp, satirical, and just the right amount of unhinged. So, light up (metaphorically, of course...wink, wink) and prepare for a wild ride.
Garry Starr - Classic Penguins
$20 to $27 - grab your tickets
Enter the world of big tobacco, big money, and even bigger moral dilemmas in this absurd, laugh-out-loud musical comedy from George Glass. When the gang is approached to write a musical promoting smoking, things spiral faster than a lit cigarette in a gusty CBD laneway.
Expect live funk rock, outrageous costumes, and more fake blood than you’d think a tobacco-themed show would require. It’s sharp, satirical, and just the right amount of unhinged. So, light up (metaphorically, of course...wink, wink) and prepare for a wild ride.
Garry Starr - Classic Penguins
Fri, 21 Feb - Sun, 23 Mar
Le Cascadeur at The Garden of Unearthly Delights
$35 to $38 - grab your tickets here
Literature! Literature! Literature! It may not rhyme with anything, but who needs rhymes when you have Garry Starr in flippers, attempting to perform every Penguin Classic ever written - in just one hour?
Armed with boundless energy, a touch of madness, and a questionable amount of clothing, Garry Starr embarks on a literary rampage through the world’s most iconic novels. From The Little Prince to Moby Dick, no masterpiece is safe from his brilliantly absurd antics.
Expect highbrow meets slapstick, Shakespeare meets sheer stupidity, and a whole lot of theatrical chaos. Books have never been this much fun - or this naked.
Werewolves
$35 to $38 - grab your tickets here
Literature! Literature! Literature! It may not rhyme with anything, but who needs rhymes when you have Garry Starr in flippers, attempting to perform every Penguin Classic ever written - in just one hour?
Armed with boundless energy, a touch of madness, and a questionable amount of clothing, Garry Starr embarks on a literary rampage through the world’s most iconic novels. From The Little Prince to Moby Dick, no masterpiece is safe from his brilliantly absurd antics.
Expect highbrow meets slapstick, Shakespeare meets sheer stupidity, and a whole lot of theatrical chaos. Books have never been this much fun - or this naked.
Werewolves
Fri, 21 Feb - Sun, 23 Mar
The Yurt at The Courtyard of Curiosities at the Migration Museum
$20 to $28 - grab your tickets
The moon is rising over Millers Hollow… and the hunt is on.
By day, the villagers live in uneasy harmony. But by night? Werewolves lurk among them, picking off the innocent one by one. As the bodies pile up, paranoia sets in... who can you trust? Who is telling the truth? and who is hiding fangs behind a friendly smile?
In this thrilling, immersive game of deception and deduction, audience members are dealt their fate and must scheme, accuse, and survive. Led by expert game master, Nicholas Giles Phillips, expect tension, twists, and the occasional spectacular betrayal. Will the villagers unmask the wolves before it’s too late, or will the town fall to the beasts within?
Zoë Coombs Marr - Every Single Thing in My Whole Entire Life
$20 to $28 - grab your tickets
The moon is rising over Millers Hollow… and the hunt is on.
By day, the villagers live in uneasy harmony. But by night? Werewolves lurk among them, picking off the innocent one by one. As the bodies pile up, paranoia sets in... who can you trust? Who is telling the truth? and who is hiding fangs behind a friendly smile?
In this thrilling, immersive game of deception and deduction, audience members are dealt their fate and must scheme, accuse, and survive. Led by expert game master, Nicholas Giles Phillips, expect tension, twists, and the occasional spectacular betrayal. Will the villagers unmask the wolves before it’s too late, or will the town fall to the beasts within?
Zoë Coombs Marr - Every Single Thing in My Whole Entire Life
Tue, 25 Feb - Sun, 02 Mar
Monocle at The Howling Owl
$29 to $36 - grab your tickets
No gimmicks. No grand concepts. Just Zoë, a mic… and literally every single thing that’s ever happened in her life.
Award-nominated (and sometimes winning) Zoë Coombs Marr is back with a no-holds-barred personal storytelling comedy show; raw, ridiculous, and different every single night. Expect brand new stories, plenty of detours, and the kind of hilariously unfiltered honesty that’s made her a standout on stages from LA to Edinburgh, London to New York.
Sh!t-faced Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
$29 to $36 - grab your tickets
No gimmicks. No grand concepts. Just Zoë, a mic… and literally every single thing that’s ever happened in her life.
Award-nominated (and sometimes winning) Zoë Coombs Marr is back with a no-holds-barred personal storytelling comedy show; raw, ridiculous, and different every single night. Expect brand new stories, plenty of detours, and the kind of hilariously unfiltered honesty that’s made her a standout on stages from LA to Edinburgh, London to New York.
Sh!t-faced Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Fri, 21 Feb - Sun, 23 Mar
The Roundhouse at The Garden of Unearthly Delights
$42.90 to $49.90 - grab your tickets
The international smash-hit phenomenon returns to Adelaide, bringing the Bard to the stage in the most responsibly irresponsible way possible. Sh!t-faced Shakespeare is exactly what it sounds like - one very inebriated actor, a completely serious production, and absolute theatrical chaos.
This year, they’re tackling A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and with a different cast member hitting the sauce each night, no two shows are ever the same. Will love triumph? Will fairies meddle? Will someone forget their lines and start a drunken sword fight? Only one way to find out…
Rhino Room Late Show: 25 Years
$42.90 to $49.90 - grab your tickets
The international smash-hit phenomenon returns to Adelaide, bringing the Bard to the stage in the most responsibly irresponsible way possible. Sh!t-faced Shakespeare is exactly what it sounds like - one very inebriated actor, a completely serious production, and absolute theatrical chaos.
This year, they’re tackling A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and with a different cast member hitting the sauce each night, no two shows are ever the same. Will love triumph? Will fairies meddle? Will someone forget their lines and start a drunken sword fight? Only one way to find out…
Rhino Room Late Show: 25 Years
Fri, 21 Feb - Sat, 22 Mar
Upstairs at Rhino Room
$25 to $35 - grab your tickets
A true Adelaide Fringe institution is turning 25 - so get ready to celebrate with some serious laughs!
For a quarter of a century, this late-night comedy institution has been delivering the best of the fest, featuring a rotating lineup of 80+ comedians from across the globe. From beloved legends to the next big names, you never know who you’ll see... until they hit the stage.
Running every Friday and Saturday from 10pm ‘til midnight, Rhino Room has been the go-to for comedy lovers since the year 2000, and they're back with their Fringe special. No spoilers, no lineups announced; just pure, unfiltered, Fringe magic.
WOW!
With so many incredible shows to choose from, this year’s Adelaide Fringe is shaping up to be another spectacle season. From outrageous comedy to jaw-dropping storytelling, late-night antics to immersive experiences, there is so much to choose from. I can’t wait to dive headfirst into the magic of Fringe, and will be sharing my Fringe fun over on my Instagram @theiconicblonde, and through my podcast, Fringe Benefits podcast.
$25 to $35 - grab your tickets
A true Adelaide Fringe institution is turning 25 - so get ready to celebrate with some serious laughs!
For a quarter of a century, this late-night comedy institution has been delivering the best of the fest, featuring a rotating lineup of 80+ comedians from across the globe. From beloved legends to the next big names, you never know who you’ll see... until they hit the stage.
Running every Friday and Saturday from 10pm ‘til midnight, Rhino Room has been the go-to for comedy lovers since the year 2000, and they're back with their Fringe special. No spoilers, no lineups announced; just pure, unfiltered, Fringe magic.
WOW!
With so many incredible shows to choose from, this year’s Adelaide Fringe is shaping up to be another spectacle season. From outrageous comedy to jaw-dropping storytelling, late-night antics to immersive experiences, there is so much to choose from. I can’t wait to dive headfirst into the magic of Fringe, and will be sharing my Fringe fun over on my Instagram @theiconicblonde, and through my podcast, Fringe Benefits podcast.
What shows are on your must-see list this year? Let’s make this Fringe one to remember - see you out there!