Eat your art out!
The 42nd annual Melbourne Fringe Festival returns this October, with a veritable buffet of more than 470 diverse events taking place across the city, inviting audiences to ‘eat your art out’.
Boundaries will, as always, be pushed across performing arts, music, dance, cabaret and many more wild, wonderful categories set to entertain, provoke and astound.
The two-stream festival boasts civic events, commissions and hand-picked works from established and emerging artists, while the open access programme is a feast for the senses.
Opening Night Gala at Capitol Theatre will see guests in for an outrageous, glamorous, Fringe night. . . A variety showcase featuring a tasty selection of morsels from the Festival.
Curated programme highlights include the 2024 Civic Commission project, COOKED, presenting a major new series of events at Federation Square. The amphitheatre will transform into a public dining-meets-performance space, with the installation of an architect-designed hot plate stage and culinary mavericks Long Prawn at the pass throughout.
COOKED begins with ‘Seasoning The Grill’, a free, First Nations grill up and smoke out, as the oldest continuously grilling culture lights up the BBQ for a night of smoke, dance, DJs, arts and mad feeds. Then, evenings will transform into COOKED: Hot Nights, where artists and chefs take over the COOKED BBQ for performances and dinners.
The foodie theme continues with festival favourites Pony Cam, presenting ‘FEAST’ – an intimate dinner party served and performed by Pony Cam which will play out across a multi-course degustation, where food and performance land on the same plate.
The jumbo-sized, food-themed fun continues at Queen Victoria Market and Melbourne Museum. At the Fringe Flavours Night Market, audiences will tuck into a smorgasbord of Fringe artists in a five-week takeover, and Nocturnal: Food For Thought is an after-hours amuse-bouche of bite-sized performances curated by Melbourne Fringe.
“Melbourne Fringe has a little of everything, for absolutely everyone,” Creative Director Simon Abrahams says. “It's a melting pot of artforms and ideas, sitting right at the heart of our culture and pushing at the boundaries of artistic possibility. You'll witness things you've never seen before alongside familiar names and faces that you're guaranteed to love.”
“In this moment in time, Melbourne Fringe offers both a sanctuary and a provocation – we’ve got mind-blowing, risk-taking art that will entertain your socks off while reflecting our world today, showcasing both seasoned and emerging artists who truly know their craft. Our Festival is Melbourne's chance to express itself, inviting everyone to see the world differently, hear new perspectives, and feel something live, visceral, and urgent.”
The Pulse programme presents two works exploring consent and gender: ‘Flames Danced In Their Hair But Did Not Burn Them’ by Fraught Outfit, and ‘Body Of Knowledge’.
Plus, the Fringe Focus Taiwan programme presents two contemporary dance works focusing on exploration of the body. ‘TOMATO’ is a rib-tickling work of sex, lust and a box of tomatoes. . . And ‘Girl’s Notes’ sees a dancer and live pianist take inspiration from a ‘90s book instructing women on how to behave, turning it all on its head.
Music comes to the Deadly Fringe programme with ‘Digital Echoes’, exploring translation and what is lost and gained through coding and decoding. The XS programme presents bold, contemporary work for children, and Free Fairy Floss is a magical, free, one-off outdoor performance where performer Now dances with fairy floss, spreading it into the air.
The Festival Hub at Trades Hall will also buzz with excitement, with more than 100 events to attend throughout Fringe.
Check out the full programme.
Melbourne Fringe Festival is on from 1-20 October.
