Did you know that the Perth Fringe World festival is the third largest Fringe Festival in the world? IN THE WORLD !!! How cool is that? Forget about sleep from now until February 19th 2023, Fringe is calling. With Perth decked out in Fringe pink flags, here are 10 quick tips to help you get the most out of the festival this year.
Running since 2011, this year Fringe World sees more than 500 acts across 100+ venues. For the first time in three years international acts are back, along with eastern states artists and plenty of homegrown talent. In an indication of the global popularity of the festival, over 100 international acts have flown in. As Artrage CEO Sharon Burgess said Fringe is thrilled to be “welcoming back the world.”
“There’s like a thousand cities in the world that want to, and desperately are trying to, repeat what Fringe World have been able to do here in Perth,” said returning, award winning international magician Charlie Caper.
The range of acts includes comedy, cabaret, theatre, music and musicals, children’s events, circus and more. The massive list of events can be overwhelming, so here are 10 tips to get you started.
Download the Fringe World App. Make sure you download the Fringe World app. It’s the easiest way to find out what’s on and buy tickets. You can also keep up to date with show reviews and add your own.
Additional artists. Did you know that Fringe World is an open-access festival? This means it is not curated, which means acts do not have to be invited to take part. Anyone can participate and it’s up to the artists to decide to be part of the Fringe. This means new artists can be added to the line-up at any time. Again the best way to keep up is via the app.
Tickets. With over 600,000 West Australians predicted to attend the Festival you’ll need to get your tickets early. According to Ms Burgess “the weekend tickets sell out fast”. The average ticket price is $30.00 and there are heaps of free events.
Be on time. Most shows run for around 60 minutes. Make sure you get to your venue on time as latecomers will not be allowed in. This is for the safety of the acts and the audience. Several venues, particularly the stunning Spiegel tents, make the acts so intimate that it’s impossible to slip into the back row.
Fringe Hubs. Make sure you check out the key Fringe Hubs. You may have already been to the wonderful Pleasure Garden in the past. I’m so pleased it’s back. It’s fun, friendly, buzzing open air area that’s always a treat. There’s also the Perth Cultural Centre with it’s amphitheatre that makes viewing super easy. This year we also have Liberty Fringe, I can’t wait to check it out.
While there are way too many acts to review or even just mention, here are a couple.
Briefs Dirty Laundry. The boys have spent the past 10 years selling out festivals worldwide with their circus, drag, burlesque and comedy show. According to lead Fez Faanana (aka Shivanana), the latest show was borne out of the hardships we all experienced over the past couple of years. But don’t think it will be a downer, if the brief snippet we saw at the media launch was anything to go by they’ll be sparkles, unapologetic comedy, truths and some amazing physical acts.
Charlie Caper Magical. The winner of Sweden’s Got Talent is back with his latest show Magical, which has won 3 awards and 8 five-star reviews in its last run. The barrage of 10 second magical riffs of Charli put on at the preview had me signing up for a ticket to his show. Don’t miss him.
Ross Noble On The Go. While I usually spend a large part of the Festival checking out new talent, I always include at least one tried-and-true act. You can’t get more tried-and-true than Ross Noble. His ability to improvise off the audience is unsurpassed in my book. A definite whenever he’s in town.
Hypnotist Matt Hale Top Fun 80’s Hypnosis Spectacular. This year Matt challenges us to “come as we are or dress 80’s”. That’s just the first challenge. If the thought of being on stage and handing total control to Matt sends you into a sweat, don’t panic. Everyone who gets on stage does so willingly. You have to volunteer to go up there. The rest of us can just sit back marvel at what people do.
Alex Mackenzie. . In 2019 Mackenzie quit his six-figure job at the pulp mill, sold his house and moved into an RV to chase his stand-up dreams! Now he is in international demand – Mackenzie tours around the world performing in sold out theatres. Dubbed as the Happiness-cheerleader, he is Canada’s fastest-rising comedian. I look forward to seeing him under the stars at Yagan Square Amphitheatre.
Fringe World 2023 runs from January 20 to February 19, 2023.
As I said this is just a tiny snippet of what’s on offer. For more information go to Fringe World and download the App. Also keep an eye on The Ponder Room TV on YouTube where I will be showcasing some of the things I get up to, including interviews.
