What’s on at the 2026 Adelaide Fringe Festival, and what should you see this year?
With literally too many shows to see at this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival and only so much time on which to write about them, our editor Justin has condensed his reviews in this one handy spot for you to read at leisure.
Adelaide has once more set up The Garden of Earthly Delights and Gluttony on Kaurna land to celebrate the whacky, the absurd, the funny, the daring and the decadent across the month of February and March. Whether this is your first Adelaide Fringe, you’re in town visiting, or making your annual journey, read about what we’ve seen and thought from a small slice of the Fringe below.
*These reviews are updating across the Fringe
Shows in this article:
Maho Magic Bar
Wed, 18 Feb – Sun, 22 Mar
60 min
Maho Magic Bar at The Garden of Unearthly Delights
PG
$58.60 to $84.40
Tickets: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/maho-magic-bar-af2026
4 STARS
Step into the returning Adelaide Fringe hit of the Maho Magic Bar for a mix of magic direct from Japan! Decorated with neon lights, the Maho Magic Bar is a beacon for the inquisitive, the quirky and the curious. Once you’re set up at your own personal bar – with new friend to chat to – an array of Japan’s finest trained magicians come to you to perform assortments of close up magic.
Most of this close up magic at play is slight of hand, masterfully done in some instances, with each magician bringing their own quirk to their act. Some will absolutely blow your mind in how its performed, whilst others are more simple and release a small smile of pleasure at its artistry. Lead by Erica Vanlee‘s roaming host, there’s Shirayuri‘s close-up cardistry, Kaori Kitazawa‘s wizardry in filling blank cards, Comet’s cocktail mixology, Shingo‘s clownlike balloon swallowing, and E.O. LEE‘s zany and mind-boggling mind reading
Throughout, order yourself some Japanese inspired cocktails to sip on while you’re entertained, or choose from the special menu and you’ll become the main act as each round is separated by a special variety performance. What’s more, this is fun for the whole family! There’s a good mix of humour to keep the adults in the room entertained, whilst the kids get to enjoy the goofy clowning acts that always end in surprise.
With varying times for you to enter this Japanese-inspired mix of magic artistry, there’s plenty of time for you to cut out your own slice of entertainment throughout the Fringe season.
Gabbi Bolt: Small Poppy
Thu, 19 Feb – Sun, 01 Mar
60 min
The Bally at Gluttony – Rymill Park
MA15+
$25 to $33
Tickets: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/gabbi-bolt-small-poppy-af2026
4.5 STARS
The Australian connection with Tall Poppy Syndrome is as deeply ingrained as beach in summer, vegemite on toast, and referring to Kylie Minogue as “Our Kylie”. But, much like most other famously identifiable Australian icons (Pavlova, Russel Crowe), it’s stolen; Gabbi Bolt is here to explain how, and why success is important to her now more than ever.
Small Poppy is a journey through success both quiet and viral. Seeing Bolt’s journey from one award-winning hit comedy to the next, she’s most definitely consolidated her technique here, as well as her voice in both lyrics and soul. She enters the stage with a confidence in form, bouncing from piano to accordion and loop station with ease. But here, she also leans into her identity as a musical comedian, unafraid to remain behind each instrument or rely on powerpoint to grab our attention.
Throughout, Bolt’s incredible ability to write, play, and cross genres proves herself to be a true musical comedienne. Everything from Hamilton to Charlie XCX inflitrates each segment that journeys through the notions of success and fame, Bolt’s rapping Roman history lesson on the origin of the Tall Poppy Syndrome being a highlight. You’re right Gabbi, audiences with a white majority can only learn history this way now.
If there’s one thing that stumbles the journey, its the desire to walk the line between appealing to her returning audience as well as pleasing newcomers. Does this ruin the flow? Not necessarily. After all, Bolt’s discussion of the new age comedians constant journey for viral fame will ultimately bring fans from online into real life, and that’s showbiz baby.
But underneath it all, there’s a sharp tongue targeting the wealthy. Billionaires beware, Gabbi Bolt is coming for you. Beyond the “undiagnosed, but definitely peer reviewed” tangents, there’s a true depth and soul to Bolt’s words. She is a comedian whose trajectory is ever journeying skywards, with this new work being a Fringe Must.
Gasha
Fri, 20 Feb – Sun, 22 Mar
60 min
The Moa at Gluttony – Rymill Park
PG
$30 to $65
Tickets: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/gasha-af2026
3.5 STARS
Precision and control are the definining features of this gorgeous array of circus and acrobatics in Gasha. From the creators of Yoah, Cirquework unveils its latest that explroes the possibility of the world becoming one through Japanese culture.
Spectacular audiovisuals seeping from the screen backstage of the Moa tent in Rymill Park create gorgeous shadows in space of Japanese imagery and spirit. The word Gasha draws inspiration from the gashapon capsule-toy machines found across Japan. These offer unknowing surprises and chance, which is imbued into the spirit of Gasha itself.
Featuring an international cast, the imagined world of Gasha dissolves separation of nationality, skin colour and language, instead focusing on a shared art form to transform and give birth to incredible feats of strength, agility and balance.
From live electric shamisen to aerial acrobatics, there’s a beauty in Gasha where some performances will quite literally take your breath away. Other acts, if you’ve seen circus or cabaret before in your Fringe journey, will be more or less familiar, though the feats of physicality remain undeniable.
Going into Gasha, I was hoping for more Japanese culture woven into the performance, rather than relying on aesthetic. Whilst some acts focused on authenticity, others felt more of the same. Gasha wows you undeniably, but doesn’t leave you with much in the way of a cultural imprint when you leave.
Sh!t-faced Shakespeare – Hamlet
Fri, 20 Feb – Sun, 22 Mar
60 min
The Vagabond at The Garden of Unearthly Delights
MA15+
$42.90 to $49.90
Tickets: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/sh-t-faced-shakespeare-hamlet-af2026
5 STARS
If there’s one ritual I have when attending a Fringe or Comedy Festival, it’s to see the latest iteration of Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare. I’ve seen that many now that I’m constantly seeking the next high for perfection in their well-crafted drunken Shakespearean ploy. So when they chose to stage my favourite of the Shakespeares, Hamlet, I knew that this was going to set the bar high for me.
Thankfully, as always, Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare meets the bar with hilarious drunken stupor.
It may read as though I have a bias here – and yeah, okay I may – but the show on the first Saturday of Adelaide Fringe proved that it’s not just me who loves this returning favourite. The Vagabond theatre in the Garden of Earthly Delights was absolutely packed with an audience eager to see the cast drunkenly stumble through the Bard’s famed work.
Okay, so, if you’re new then here’s the gist. This is entirely serious Shakespeare featuring an entirely shit-faced actor*. With the rest of the cast – all trained Shakespearen actors mind you – attempting to keep the show on track. They have to get to the end of the play without it all going completely tits up, or needing the use of the bucket held by one unlucky audience member.
For Hamlet, the inebriated actor has to be the Dane, right? For this evening it was. This kind of took out the guessing of which actor it would be in the drunken state for the evening, but it offers return value to see if it is indeed the same each evening or if they switch actors each night, lest their livers fail most Shakespearean-like.
Led by the show’s host that attempts to keep the show (and drunken actor in question) running smoothly, anything could happen throughout. And…well, let’s just say things most definitely don’t go according to plan. Have you ever seen a Hamlet where Ophelia’s coffin is passed around the room in a crowd surf? Ever wanted to see Hamlet do a shoey? Then this is the show for your Fringe list.
After having seen a bunch of the Sh!t-Faced‘s canon across Fringe seasons, this was undoubtedly my favourite. Bias be damned.
*Please drink responsibly.
