The Garden grows wild again: Inside the 2026 Garden of Unearthly Delights
Head to The Garden of Unearthly Delights this Fringe for a vibrant celebration of world-class performance, Adelaide exclusive shows, impeccable flavour and undeniable excitement.
In 2026, The Garden of Unearthly Delights is back for its 26th season, and it’s bigger, bolder and more joyfully unhinged than ever.
Running from February 13 to March 22 as part of the Adelaide Fringe, The Garden will host more than 115 shows across six weeks, including 23 world premieres and 39 South Australian premieres. From globally adored headliners to emerging local stars, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure playground of comedy, circus, cabaret, theatre, magic and music.
As co-director Michelle Buxton puts it: “The Garden is programmed by four industry professionals who live and breathe performing arts every single day. We take so much pride in carefully curating a dynamic and eclectic program that is guaranteed to deliver the very best collection of shows for our wonderful Garden-goers.”
World-firsts and Adelaide exclusives
If bragging rights matter, 2026 is your year. The Garden will host The Sumo Show Hirakuza – appearing outside Osaka for the first time ever – exclusively in Adelaide. Expect ancient sumo traditions smashed together with comedy and jaw-dropping physical theatre.
Australian music tragics will flock to Wish You Were Mine, a new Brian Nankervis show where guest artists perform songs they wish they’d written, backed by the RocKwiz Orkestra. And in a genuinely wild Fringe moment, The Grats – featuring Gatesy, Rusty Berther, Sammy J, Andrew Hansen and Tom Gleeson – will perform together for the very first time.
Also exclusive to The Garden: Fountain Lakes: Y2K, a camp comedy parody following last year’s smash hit, plus Keep in Touch, a breathtaking contemporary circus work from Taiwan.
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Cabaret, circus and high-flying chaos
The Garden’s reputation for world-class circus is on full display in 2026. Returning five-star smash La Ronde promises an even bolder, wilder spectacle of glittering bodies and provocative energy, while Haus of Yolo collides fashion, circus and cabaret in an Adelaide-exclusive season.
Newcomers include Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett, a riotous blend of fire-breathing, aerials and gender-bending spectacle direct from East Berlin, and Naughties, a Y2K-inspired high-flying acrobatic extravaganza from YUCK Circus. For those who like their circus surreal, Laser Kiwi – Everybody Knows blends world-class acrobatics with sketch comedy, while Bubble Show for Adults Only returns for its final Adelaide season.
Comedy royalty (and future legends)
Comedy remains The Garden’s beating heart, with a line-up stacked with household names and rising stars. Tom Gleeson returns with Out of Touch, while beloved chaos merchants Lano & Woodley blast off on a new space adventure.
Award-sweeping hit Garry Starr: Classic Penguins returns after dominating festivals in 2025, while Sh!t-faced Shakespeare tackles Hamlet in its signature tipsy style. The comedy roster also includes Dave Hughes, Celia Pacquola, Tommy Little, Geraldine Hickey, Rove McManus, Merrick Watts, Stephen K Amos, Effie, Lawrence Mooney, The Umbilical Brothers and many more.
Social media sensations The Fairbairns and Tilly Oddy-Black will also premiere their very first live shows, exclusively at The Garden.
Music, dance and late-night energy
Music lovers are equally spoiled. Meg Washington brings her Natural Beauty Tour for a one-night-only performance, while MONSTR – The Best of MTV Unplugged reunites members of iconic Australian bands for a nostalgia-soaked evening. Michael Paynter delivers The Great Australian Songbook, and party-ready acts like Zooma Zooma and Trevor Jones – Sing It! keep the dance floors buzzing.
There’s also The Garden Sessions, a free Saturday afternoon showcase spotlighting First Nations musicians from South Australia – proof that some of the best Fringe moments don’t require a ticket.
Food, feasting and flavour
You don’t just come to The Garden for the shows – you come hungry. The expanded 2026 food program is curated by acclaimed SA chef Duncan Welgemoed, transforming the park into an open-air pantry of South Australia’s best produce. Expect everything from fire-kissed local seafood to handmade dumplings, Middle Eastern spice and plant-driven innovation.
The Garden Feast returns as a season highlight, with three long-table dinners under the stars. Each celebrates a different cuisine, hosted by culinary heavyweights including George Calombaris, Matt Stone, Enrico Sgarbossa and Annita Potter, paired with live performances and charismatic MCs.
Magic, theatre and something different
Illusion fans can prepare to be amazed by Charlie Caper’s robotics-fuelled The Future, alongside Abracadabra, B*tch!, 1 Hour of Insane Magic and Maho Magic Bar. Theatre lovers can catch Rob Carlton’s Virgin In A Knife Fight, the visceral physical theatre piece Blushing, and the darkly comic Partying with Manson.
Two new venues round out the experience: The Paragon, hosting circus, comedy and magic, and The Criterion, spotlighting exciting emerging performers like Meg Jäger and Frankie McNair. The Soda Room also debuts, with Mark “Soda” Soderstrom hosting intimate live podcast conversations with Garden stars.
A wonderland in full bloom
With free entertainment, new venues and its largest program since 2020, The Garden’s 2026 season feels like a full-throttle return to form. “This will be our most dazzling season yet,” Buxton says. “We can’t wait to welcome people to our wonderland where world-class superstars share the stage with blossoming new talents, and where tastebuds ignite and South Australia’s finest wines, beers and ciders flow under the stars.”
