Adelaide Fringe CEO drops final program before departure
Outgoing Adelaide Fringe CEO Heather Croall has unveiled next year’s program – but who will be running the festival come opening night is still up in the air.
An Edinburgh Fringe hit skewering British class and privilege, a tribute to an Australian cycling legend, and the long-awaited reopening of Tandanya will feature in the 2026 Adelaide Fringe festival program.
Revealed today by longtime Adelaide Fringe CEO Heather Croall, the open-access arts festival promises over 1500 shows across the state, from small venues to major hubs including The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Rhino Room, Goodwood Theatres, Courtyard of Curiosities, Arthur Art House and Holden Street Theatres.
Early announcements include Cadel: Lugs on Legs, a one-man show from Perth-born actor Connor Delves that revisits the Australian cycling great’s successful 2011 tilt at the Tour de France’s yellow jersey, and UK theatre makers Wright&Grainger whose musical take on Orpheus and Eurydice will be presented at the recently reopened Mortlock Chamber at the State Library of South Australia.
Other theatrical highlights include Eat the Rich (But Maybe Not Me Mates X), a solo show by Liverpool writer/actor Jade Franks that skewers her experience as a working-class student navigating the rarefied halls of Cambridge university.
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Eat the Right (But Maybe Not Me Mates X) is slated to headline Holden Street Theatre’s 2026 Fringe offering after a starry season at the Edinburgh Fringe – and according to Deadline, its screen rights have already been snapped up by Netflix.
While Adelaide Fringe will run from February 20 to March 22 – winding back from last year’s extended season – some venues like The Garden of Unearthly Delights, will start early from February 13.
The Garden’s program – its largest since the pandemic – includes the international premiere of the straight-from-Osaka Sumo Show Hirakuza, and a comedy slate featuring The Umbilical Brothers, Rove McManus, Celia Pacquola, Dave Hughes, and Nurse Georgie Carroll.
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Classic Penguins, a breakout hit at last year’s Fringe performed by Garry Starr, the alter-ego of Australian ‘master clown’ Damien Warren-Smith, will also return to the Garden after a celebrated international run.
As reported by InDaily in October, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute will make its long-awaited return just in time for the Fringe, reopening in February after a temporary closure in July 2023 stretched to over two years. Following renovations and a $780,000 state government funding injection, the centre’s theatre space will present a Fringe program curated by neighbouring Fringe hub Gluttony, which opens from February 19.
New Tandanya CEO Brenz Saunders told InDaily, “It’s a program of events that has about 55 per cent First Nations performers which is something that Gluttony has committed to on their own right in wanting to grow the representation of Aboriginal people in the festival space.”
Leaning into the growing popularity of immersive experiences, next year’s festival will include a new mini-program dubbed ‘Immersive Worlds’. Its slate includes the Vincent Van Gogh-inspired VR attraction Monsieur Vincent, and the return of the Dome Experience which will relocate from Dom Polski Centre to a new Fringe hub at Olympic House – formerly a bingo hall – with presentations including Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
“Adelaide Fringe continues to grow as a festival that celebrates creativity in all its forms, the 2026 program showcases extraordinary talent from South Australia and around the world, offering audiences experiences that surprise, connect and inspire,” Croall said in a statement.
Perhaps the biggest news however, is the previously reported development that the 2026 festival will be the first in over a decade without Croall at its helm. Last month InDaily confirmed that Croall will leave the festival after 11 years to start a new position as director of historic Adelaide mansion Carrick Hill.
With Croall’s new gig slated to start in February 2026, details of the recruitment process for her replacement have yet to be announced – making it unclear whether a replacement will be confirmed in time for the festival’s opening on February 20.
In November, Adelaide Fringe chair (and Solstice Media founder and managing director) Paul Hamra said the festival’s executive team was “well-prepared to lead the operations and continue the momentum to deliver another exciting and successful festival season”.
Adelaide Fringe Festival runs from February 20 – March 20