Fringe Festival

[Vee]

Despite the threat of heavy rain casting doubt on the Adelaide Fringe Parade going ahead, the rain cleared just in time for the much anticipated Parade. And it was a great success.

The Parade is one of the many free events adding to the carnival atmosphere during the Fringe. It finished with a party, fireworks celebration at the new event space in Victoria Square, the colourful 'Royal Croquet Club'.

Not able to make it this year but here are a few sample pics, videos, comments, captured via social media, for interested interstate/overseas forum members.

Videos
via @kurumi_nu1119
http://instagram.com/p/kZh3D3N2ls/

http://instagram.com/p/kZi2H3N2nT/


Photos of the Parade
http://twitter.com/seanmaynard/status/4 ... 96/photo/1
via @seanmaynard

http://twitter.com/HitafRasheed/status/ ... 08/photo/1
via @HitafRasheed

http://twitter.com/adelaide_fringe/stat ... 49/photo/1
via @adelaide_fringe

http://twitter.com/adelaide_fringe/stat ... 44/photo/1
via @adelaide_fringe

http://twitter.com/seanmaynard/status/4 ... 40/photo/1
via @seanmaynard


Royal Croquet Club
http://instagram.com/p/kZdBvKEqgO/
via @sarahk123

http://twitter.com/nickpeety/status/434 ... 88/photo/1
via @nickpeety

http://instagram.com/p/kZL0V7nA1p/
via @antimoiannella


Fireworks
http://instagram.com/p/kZSGTpk0cP/
via @matt_agius


East End/GOUD
http://twitter.com/AdelaideHare/status/ ... 21/photo/1
via @AdelaideHare

Fringe bus
The free Fringe Bus, connecting up the various Fringe venues around the city, should be in high demand.

Fringe on a budget?
You can subscribe on the Fringe site for daily emails for last minute 1/2 Price FringeTIX for a selection of shows.
From 12pm – 3pm daily, the ½ price tickets go on sale. You can book online.
http://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/

[The Scooter Guy]

2015's Fringe Fest is nearing! And we are one step closer to 'Experiencing Something New!'
A few buses are now carrying advertising for it.

[Napier Leo]

I went to the Fringe Festival 2 years back in Adelaide with a companion. We went over from NSW for it. Such a great amount to see, such a great amount to do while it was on. Great to see's it's still going on.

[The Scooter Guy]

Some buses including the newer Scania K230UBs will soon be donning a coat of all-over advertising for TalkFringe.com

[Wayno]

Related to The Fringe, there's an excellent line-up of artists for Womad again this year. Internode customers get a 15% discount of pre-purchased tickets. I'll be going to the saturday day/night again. Such good value.

http://www.womadelaide.com.au/

WOMAD is the World of Music, Arts & Dance, founded by the musician Peter Gabriel in 1982, and WOMADelaide, the Australian WOMAD festival, kicked off in 1992. Over the past 23 years it has become one of the nation’s favourite outdoor festivals, not only because of the unique and extraordinary music it presents, but also because of its beautiful and friendly vibe. Families are welcome (kids 12 and under get free entry) and the diversity of the audience is almost as astounding as the line-up. WOMADelaide is a member of Festivals Adelaide.

Over 4 unforgettable days and nights in March, Adelaide's glorious Botanic Park hosts a journey of remarkable performances by over 400 of the world's top traditional and contemporary musicians, artists, dancers and thinkers from every corner of the globe. The 2015 program features performances and workshops across 7 stages, a KidZone activity area, street theatre and visual artists, the Taste The World cooking program, The Planet Talks environmental discussions program, Electrolounge, Artists in Conversation and over 100 amazing food, retail and charity stalls.

[The Scooter Guy]

Related to The Fringe, there's an excellent line-up of artists for Womad again this year. Internode customers get a 15% discount of pre-purchased tickets. I'll be going to the saturday day/night again. Such good value.

http://www.womadelaide.com.au/

WOMAD is the World of Music, Arts & Dance, founded by the musician Peter Gabriel in 1982, and WOMADelaide, the Australian WOMAD festival, kicked off in 1992. Over the past 23 years it has become one of the nation’s favourite outdoor festivals, not only because of the unique and extraordinary music it presents, but also because of its beautiful and friendly vibe. Families are welcome (kids 12 and under get free entry) and the diversity of the audience is almost as astounding as the line-up. WOMADelaide is a member of Festivals Adelaide.

Over 4 unforgettable days and nights in March, Adelaide's glorious Botanic Park hosts a journey of remarkable performances by over 400 of the world's top traditional and contemporary musicians, artists, dancers and thinkers from every corner of the globe. The 2015 program features performances and workshops across 7 stages, a KidZone activity area, street theatre and visual artists, the Taste The World cooking program, The Planet Talks environmental discussions program, Electrolounge, Artists in Conversation and over 100 amazing food, retail and charity stalls.

I first went there back in 2009!
Hope I can count on that myself!
Here's my record:

2009 - All Days
2010 - One Day
2011 - Nil
2012 - All Days (then kicked out on the final day!)
2013 - Nil
2014 - Nil
2015 - Pending

[liammcgee]

Love the Fringe Festival, I'm going on the 19th and 20th this year! Should be great. Have been previous years and enjoyed it.

[Wayno]

A reminder to all - the Fringe Opening Parade is this Friday night. Haul yourself on in and enjoy the evening!

As Bruce Mcavaney would say "ohhhh, i believe something very special is about to happen". On the other hand Dennis Cometti would say "Cooler than the other side of the pillow"

Yes footy season is not far away too

[The Scooter Guy]

A reminder to all - the Fringe Opening Parade is this Friday night. Haul yourself on in and enjoy the evening!

As Bruce Mcavaney would say "ohhhh, i believe something very special is about to happen". On the other hand Dennis Cometti would say "Cooler than the other side of the pillow"

Yes footy season is not far away too

A 'Friday the 13th' it'll be! YEAH!

[ghs]

I went along to the opening parade last night and was really impresssed. I've never been
to the parade previously and I was surprised by how good it was, the crowd was great, I wish
now that I had been in previous years.

[The Scooter Guy]

I went along to the opening parade last night and was really impresssed. I've never been
to the parade previously and I was surprised by how good it was, the crowd was great, I wish
now that I had been in previous years.

It was still a success, despite the weather being slightly wet!

[The Scooter Guy]

I really enjoyed my first time ever in the Garden of Unearthly Delights!
Saw 'Tubular Bells for Two', which was an absolute epic duet! Went on the Big Wheel & Skydiver too!

[ghs]

Adelaide Fringe Festival breaks ticket sales records, as event wraps up for 2015


The Adelaide Fringe Festival enjoyed a record-breaking year, with more than $13 million worth of tickets being sold.

The four-week festival, which wraps up today, sold more than 536,000 tickets across 376 venues, with tickets sales up 20 per cent on last year.

The majority of revenue funds went back to presenters and performers at the festival.

Director Greg Clarke said a combination of diverse artists and the expanding venues drew audiences in their thousands.

"It's been absolutely massive, we've had a 20 per cent increase, that's the biggest increase we've had since I've been the director," Mr Clarke said.

"Every year it's been going up 10 per cent, but this year we've blown it out of the water, we've broken all records.

"It's been an absolutely massive Fringe Festival."

Mr Clarke said 10,000 tickets were sold in just one day on February 28, which coincided with the Clipsal 500.

"We've never done that before, and then last Saturday we sold 12,000 tickets in one day so that's kind of the numbers we've been doing," Mr Clarke said.

"We're so happy it's been a phenomenal success."

Mr Clarke attributed this year's success to the "beautiful weather", the Fringe venues and the jam-packed program, which featured some of the country's best comedians and stage shows.

He said many quality performers were drawn to the Adelaide Fringe Festival due to the large crowds it attracts.

"Artists are smart, if they can get audiences and sell tickets, they're going go where they can do that and all the big-name artists are choosing to come to the Adelaide Fringe to do their shows," he said.

"This festival, the Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the biggest arts event in the country and everyone is starting to realise that."

The festival also featured a number of free events, which Mr Clarke said helped draw in larger crowds.

The opening night Fringe Parade saw a record 57,000 people line King William Street.

A number of shows enjoyed sell-out crowds including Velvet, which premiered at the Fringe Festival.

Other festival highlights for organisers included Meow Meow - Feline Intimates, circus favourite Briefs: the Second Coming and La Soiree, and comedians Sam Simmons and Kitty Flanagan, who was also this year's ambassador.

[Wayno]

I posted about a similar 'dust bowl' issue over in the Womad thread recently. Same same here.

From ABC news online.

Fringe festival's impact on Victoria Square to be considered in Adelaide City Council review

The environmental impact of special events in Victoria Square will be reviewed by Adelaide City Council as its workers lay fresh turf after the Fringe festival and Tour Down Under cycling.

Lord Mayor Martin Haese told 891 ABC Adelaide he could not disagree with people who said the square now looked like a dustbowl.

"We have some work to do, there's no doubt about that," he said. "Scorched earth would probably be a word (sic) that would come to mind."

An Adelaide resident who rang 891 said she took international visitors through the city centre at the weekend and was shocked at how the central square looked after it had been used as a Fringe venue, the Royal Croquet Club.

Mr Haese said the area should be restored to its regular appearance in the next four weeks.

"I'm happy to say that the council team are already on the job and they've already started works ... to repatriate the turf," he said.

"We've had two and a half months of fairly intensive usage of Victoria Square, with the Tour Down Under starting in January and taking us right through to last week with the completion of the Royal Croquet Club so that does put pressure on Victoria Square.

"It's a balancing act I'd suggest. We've attracted a great deal of people to the city, we've put the state on the world stage, we've done a whole number of things but as we've done that of course Victoria Square's taken a little bit of a shellacking."

The council said repatriation costs were part of the hiring fees for public spaces.

Mr Haese said a meeting between the council and Croquet Club entrepreneurs would assess the impact the Fringe venue had had on the square.

He said the council also would review its hiring guidelines for Victoria Square to ensure it was using the space effectively.

"Victoria Square is first and foremost a public space," he said.

"We've got to find that balance between continuing to bring our city to life, attracting people to the city, attracting tourists, filling up hotels but also respecting our public spaces."

The council also planned talks with city hoteliers and other traders to get their feedback about the impact of the Fringe on their businesses during late February and early March.

Again there is absolutely "merde loads" (excuse my french) of water available from the Glenelg treatment plant. Go gangbusters (or dambusters) ACC. Use ALL the water. Create an oasis. Make some of the lushest deepest lawn the world has ever seen. I want people from interstate and overseas to say - Remember that lawn we saw in Adelaide? that was some GOOD lawn.

While you're at it - do the same in the botanic gardens, and parklands in general. Even the lawn in parts of Elder Park is as thin as a balding mans combover - sigh.

[Llessur2002]

Shhhh - you'll rile up the parklands preservation society if you attempt to water them.