Sydney Fringe Festival 2025 is almost upon us. With over 460 events to see across Greater Sydney from September, we’ve curated a shortlist of ten to put on your radar this season.
From immersive theatre that’s dripping with cocktails and secrets, to bold, new First Nations storytelling, family circus delights, and comedy regulars, the 2025 Sydney Fringe Festival lineup promises something for everyone. Whether you’re a Fringe rookie, or a seasoned Fringer, you may be overwhelmed by what to see.
Never fear! We’ve curated a shortlist of shows to get you going. Count down with us as we list ten exciting shows to see at this year’s festival. We’re starting with hidden gems from #10, all the way down to the electrifying centrepiece at #1.
For the full lineup of the festival, head to sydneyfringe.com
10. Takatāpui
Spoken Word & Storytelling – First Nations
Dates/Venue: 3–13 Sep | PACT, Erskineville
Accessibility: M15+, Assisted Dogs Allowed, Wheelchair Accessible
Tickets & Info: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/takatapui/
You ready, you hot brown honey you? Armed with only a microphone and a killer pair of heels, Māori shapeshifter Daley Rangi examines the spectrum of queer joy and violence with love and rage, holding a solidary flame in a blistering call to action.
Takatāpui shines a light on the shadowy events of just one night among many. Grappling with the infinities of self-expression, Rangi unearths the complexities of identity with welcoming levity and candour. How do microaggressions turn macro?
9. I Watched Someone Die on TikTok
Solo Cabaret-Style Theatre
Dates/Venue: 03 – 13 Sep | PACT Centre for Emerging Artists
Accessibility: R18+, Assisted Dogs Allowed, Wheelchair Accessible
Tickets & Info: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/i-watched-someone-die-on-tiktok/
A pixelated plunge into the algorithmic abyss, Charlotte Otton delivers an award-winning, dark, and hilarious infinite doom scroll that dissects the digital hellscape we find ourselves subscribed to.
A 60 minute live infinite doom scroll that combines raw data, raw emotions and raw comedy. A pixelated and picaresque solo show about “the algorithm”—that vague, shadowy, inhuman entity and the unsettling experience of navigating today’s digital hellscape.
Utilising the rapid fire short form of TikTok, the audience will be drip fed the byte-sized, tender morsels of the dark and light in comprehending the feed that feeds on us.
8. Yalgali Welcome Ceremony & Film Night
First Nations Hub Event
Date/Venue: 28 Aug | PACT Centre
Why To See It: A ceremonial opening with fire, stories, and film—rich in cultural celebration
Accessibility: Public, welcoming
Details: https://sydneyfringe.com/yalgali/
Sydney Fringe takes a breath in to prepare itself for another year of wild, exciting, and unexpected Fringe excellence. We ready ourselves with a moment to connect to country, people and storytelling at our First Nations Hub Yalgali at the fire lighting and Welcome Ceremony.
Artists and audiences are warmly invited to gather on Gadigal land and watch the sacred fire lighting and Welcome Ceremony. The Fire Lighting is a powerful experience that allows all gathered the opportunity to pay respects to our First Nations people and their enduring connection and custodianship of the country we meet, tell stories and make art on. The land under our feet, the, air we breath, the skies and waters of this place are older than we can imagine and we thank her for holding us since time immemorial.
7. Fringe Kids: A One-Man Circus
Family, Circus
Dates/Venue: 6 Sep–5 Oct | Entertainment Quarter – The Bunker
Accessibility: Family-friendly, rated G, wheelchair accessible
Tickets: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/a-one-man-circus/
The absolutely hilarious multi-award winning performer, Morgan James has the crowd in stitches with his magnetic larrikin personality, random wit and skillful circus acts- A show for the whole family -A show for kids to take their parents to!
After a lifetime of practicing, Morgan James can now do impossible things. He has returned from touring the world & the seven seas with his greatest creation yet; the coming together of everything he’s done; the realisation of an impossible dream. He’s become a One Man Circus- and you can too!
He has performed for presidents, prime ministers and royalty- and now, he’s performing for YOU!
6. Elixir Revived
Contemporary, Circus
Dates/Venue: 29 Aug–12 Oct | Entertainment Quarter – The Vault
Accessibility: R18+, step free access, accessible parking & wheelchair accessible
Tickets: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/elixir-revived/
From the creators of GODS and RAILED bring you, Cirque du Soleil meets Magic Mike in a wild, post-apocalyptic circus comedy packed with jaw-dropping stunts, irreverent humour, and world-class acrobatics. Sexy, bold and unmissable.
This is Cirque du Soleil meets Magic Mike—a high-octane blend of circus, comedy, and chaos from the Head First Acrobats.
Four eccentric scientists attempt to create the Elixir of life, and a forced to test the concotions on themselves. Chaos and Mayhem breaks loose in the Laboratory, and what follows is a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud spectacle packed with gravity-defying acrobatics, physical comedy, and more than a touch of cheek.
That was #10-#6, now we’re entering the must-see recommendations for your Fringe experience for 2025. If you’re a newcomer, welcome! If you’re an experienced Fringe Festival patron, time to expand your horizons.
5. When Night Comes
Immersive Theatre
Dates/Venue: 22 Aug–27 Sep | Union Bond Store, The Rocks
Accessibility: R18+ (includes low lighting, haze), assitance dogs allowed, cobblestone entrance
Tickets: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/when-night-comes/
The soirée of the year . . . dark, decadent and delicious.
A bespoke, multi-sensory and distinctly intoxicating performance experience, The Society invites you to attend When Night Comes. A hedonistic night out, where visions and sounds, smells and textures, tastes and feelings are conjured.
When Night Comes is an immersive performance for small groups that blends theatre and cocktails in a singular experience. Encounter tantalising provocations, empyreal characters and an alluring bacchanalian world, in search of amusements, treats, tipples and secrets.
Things to note: Please see the website for important notes on the performance and access. After selecting your session time, please select either VIP or Standard ticket. Then choose either alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. If you need to change your beverage selection later please contact us with at least 24 hours notice. Please also note, that shows from 22/08/25 – 26/08/25 inclusive are preview performances.
4. Dorothy in Oz
Theatre, Immersive & Interactive
Dates/Venue: 03 – 28 Sep | Cabaret Hub- Marrickville Town Hall
Accessibility: Rated G, Wheelchair Accessible
Tickets & Info: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/dorothy-in-oz/
Leave the city behind and step into the magical world of Dorothy in Oz: The Immersive Cocktail adventure, where you become part of the action!
This unforgettable experience combines the whimsy and wonder of L. Frank Baum’s beloved classic book series with the excitement of interactive storytelling, live performance, cocktails, and delightfully surprising stage magic.
Be prepared to be whisked away by this luscious production, where you will be invited to craft your own delectable cocktail as you explore the magical land of Oz and the characters within.
3. Opening Night Laneway Street Party
Free Public Launch Event
Date/Venue: 4 Sep | The Rocks laneways
Accessibility: Uneven stones in The Rocks, Free Event
Details: Check out more on the Sydney Fringe website
The Rocks ignites: one night, all Fringe, totally free.
Experience a free evening of electric roving performances, pop-up wonders and spine-tingling surprises around every corner. Follow the spectacle through laneways alive with sound, movement and mystery. Unmissable, unforgettable, and absolutely free… for one night only!
2. Orpheus – Wright & Grainger
Mythical Storytelling & Live Music
Dates/Venue: 4–28 Sep | Sideshow at The Rocks & Pottery Lane
Accessibility: PG, intimate venues – Pottery Lane has accessible parking & bathroom
Tickets & Info: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/orpheus/
Dave is single. He’s stood at the bar.
Eurydice is a tree nymph.
And Bruce Springsteen is on the juke box.
Since its creation in 2016, ORPHEUS has played over 500 shows in the UK and internationally – in festivals, cafes, gardens, railways arches, bars, tents, churches, yoga studios, boats, record shops, breweries, loft apartments and very occasionally, a theatre. It’s won multiple awards including
Best Theatre (Fringeworld) 2018
Best Music (Sydney Fringe) 2019
Beyond Words (Dunedin Fringe) 2019
Best Theatre (Adelaide Fringe) 2023
Book quick, this one is sure to sell out!
1. Eternity Playhouse Relaunch
Off-Broadway Hub
Dates/Venue: 2–27 Sep | Eternity Playhouse
Accessibility: Central, hearing loop, step-free access, service pets allowed
Details: https://sydneyfringe.com/off-broadway-hub/
This year, our Off Broadway Hub shimmies into the spotlight at one of Sydney’s most iconic venues: the stunning Eternity Playhouse! Right in the heart of our Eastern Precinct, this hub is where ambition, artistry, and indie flair intersect to reach brave new heights.
The program celebrates all things theatrical, from original musicals and genre-bending variety shows to contemporary dance and choral spectacles. If you love your Fringe with a little polish, this is the place to be this September.
Catch Lewis Major’s Triptych, winner of three major international awards, or go full cult classic with Definitely NOT a Hungry Games: A Parody Musical. Kate Bush Unmoored leads you on a lush, multimedia choral journey, while The Ghana Road Show and A Succulent Chinese Musical?! serve stories with vision and flair.
Whether it’s spectacle or satire, dance or drama, Off Broadway Hub brings you the scale of mainstage theatre, Fringe-style! It’s big. It’s bold. It’s ready for the lights.
The Fringe transforms the city of Sydney from the end of August and throughout September. Whether you’re mastering sensory escapes, indulging in mythic storytelling, or discovering a solo clowning sensation, it’s time to put together your Fringe list!
Dive deeper at sydneyfringe.com and plan your discoveries for this Fringe season.
