Venue
Rundle Park / Kadlitpina, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Adelaide Fringe guide
Open-access shows across Adelaide in Mad March.
In short
Adelaide Fringe runs from 19 February to 21 March 2027, with more than 1,300 events in hundreds of venues. Anyone can register a show, so quality varies and reviews help. Tickets go on sale on 4 December 2026; base yourself near the Garden of Unearthly Delights and Gluttony in the East End.
Adelaide Fringe is the largest arts festival in Australia and the second-largest annual arts festival in the world after Edinburgh. For four weeks each February and March, more than 7,000 artists put on over 1,300 events in hundreds of venues across the South Australian capital, from purpose-built Spiegeltents in the parklands to pubs, galleries, churches and living rooms.
It is an open-access festival. There is no curator choosing the programme: anyone with a show and a venue can register, which is why comedy sits beside cabaret, circus, theatre, music, magic and visual art, and why first-time performers share the listings with international touring acts.
The 2027 Fringe runs from Friday 19 February to Sunday 21 March, at the heart of the stretch locals call Mad March. In 2023 it became the first Australian festival to sell a million tickets.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Sunday, 21 March 2027
Where: Adelaide, Australia
Venue: Garden of Unearthly Delights
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, Arts Festivals
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD, $)
Time zone: Australian Central Standard Time, UTC+9:30 (UTC+10:30 in summer)
Language: English
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Buying tickets and choosing shows
With over a thousand events, a little filtering saves the evening.
- Buy official
- use the Adelaide Fringe website or app, where tickets are linked to the venue listings.
- Arrive early
- hub venues often seat on arrival, so queue ahead of the start time.
- Check age guidance
- much late-night comedy and cabaret is for adults only.
- Mix it up
- pair one well-reviewed show with a cheaper gamble on an unknown act.
Heat and water during February
February in Adelaide is hot and dry, and evenings in tents can stay warm.
- Carry water and refill it between shows.
- Wear sunscreen and a hat for daytime queues.
- Bring a light layer for cooler March nights.
- Keep phone and wallet close in crowded hub areas.
What happens on the day
- 4 December 2026
Tickets on sale
Booking opens through the official website and app.
- 19 February
Opening
The festival begins, traditionally with free opening-night celebrations.
- Weekends
Peak crowds
The hubs are busiest on Friday and Saturday nights.
- 21 March
Final day
Last performances across the city.
Basing your evenings around the East End hubs
Most visitors base their evenings around the East End, where the Garden of Unearthly Delights and Gluttony sit in neighbouring parklands and dozens of shows start each hour. Venues around the city centre and suburbs fill the rest of the map.
Tickets go on sale on 4 December 2026. Book a few headline shows then, and leave room for recommendations picked up in queues. Mad March brings other festivals and events to the city at the same time, so reserve accommodation early. For more of the country, see our Australia travel page.
The Fringe's history since 1960
The Fringe started in 1960 when local artists staged their own productions alongside the first Adelaide Festival of Arts. It was incorporated in 1975, briefly called Focus in 1976, and became the Adelaide Festival Fringe in 1982 before settling on Adelaide Fringe in 2000.
Growth came in steps: annual editions from 2007, four weeks from 2013, and hubs such as the Garden of Unearthly Delights and Gluttony that turned the East End parklands into a festival quarter. The Royal Croquet Club ran as another hub from 2014 to 2019.
Getting there
Flying in
Adelaide Airport is a short drive west of the city centre, with buses and taxis to the CBD.
Around the city
The East End hubs are walkable from most central hotels; Adelaide Metro trams, buses and trains cover the suburbs.
From elsewhere in Australia
Direct flights link Adelaide with the other state capitals.
Where to stay during the festival
The CBD and East End put you within walking distance of the main hubs, which matters after late shows. North Adelaide and Glenelg are quieter alternatives.
Mad March is the city's busiest season, so book as early as you can.
Weather and what to pack
Bureau of Meteorology 1991-2020 normals for Adelaide (Kent Town) give February an average high of 29.7°C and low of 17.5°C with about 20 mm of rain on 4 days; March averages 26.6°C and 15.3°C with about 25 mm.
Expect hot, dry days, the odd heatwave, and pleasant evenings.
Worth packing
- Sunscreen and a hat
- A refillable water bottle
- A light jacket for March evenings
- Comfortable shoes for walking between venues
- A charged phone for e-tickets
Car hire in Adelaide
Airport transfer to Adelaide Fringe
Met at arrivals and driven door to door to Garden of Unearthly Delights.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Timing & weather
Friday 19 February to Sunday 21 March 2027. The 2026 festival ran from 20 February to 22 March, so the four-week slot is consistent.
Nobody selects the shows. Any artist who registers and secures a venue can take part, so the programme ranges from polished international productions to first attempts. Reviews and word of mouth do the filtering.
Opening night has traditionally been free. A street parade was held in earlier years and was replaced from 2018 by an Opening Night Street Party; check the official programme for the current format.
Booking
The Fringe has said tickets for 2027 go on sale from 4 December 2026, through its official website and app.
General
More than 7,000 artists and over 1,300 events in hundreds of venues. In 2023 it became the first Australian festival to pass one million tickets sold.
A temporary festival hub in Rundle Park / Kadlitpina, first set up in 2000 with a single Spiegeltent. By 2026 it held more than 115 shows, along with bars, food stalls and rides.
The second big hub, across the road in Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka. It started in 2010 and by 2026 had more than 18 venues and over 200 shows.
No. It ran every two years until 2006 and has been annual since 2007. It was stretched to four weeks in 2013.
In 1960 local artists began staging their own work alongside the first Adelaide Festival of Arts. The fringe became an incorporated body in 1975 and has used the name Adelaide Fringe since 2000.
Yes, that is the point of an open-access festival. Registrations for 2027 opened in 2026, and artists registered by 30 October 2026 can appear in the printed Official Adelaide Fringe Guide; later entries still appear online.
Edinburgh is larger and runs in August. Adelaide is the biggest in the southern hemisphere and falls in late summer, so plenty of performers take shows to both.