Australia’s favourite outdoor performance precinct, The Garden of Unearthly Delights, will once again bloom into the beating heart of the 2026 Adelaide Fringe, transforming Rundle Park/Kadlitpina into a vibrant celebration of world class performance, Adelaide exclusive shows, impeccable flavour, and undeniable excitement.
As one of the oldest and most loved independent performing arts events in Australia, The Garden’s 2026 program showcases more than 115 dynamic shows across a six-week season running from 13 February to 22 March. The program will feature 23 World Premieres and 39 South Australian Premieres, along with countless comedy, magic, cabaret, music, theatre and circus shows starring internationally adored artists and beloved returning favourites.
For the very first time outside of Osaka Japan, The Sumo Show Hirakuza, will bring its world-first theatrical experience exclusively to Adelaide, merging ancient sumo wrestling with comedy and jaw-dropping physicality. Australian media favourite, Brian Nankervis (RocKwiz), will premiere Wish You Were Mine, a live music and storytelling show where guest artists perform songs they wish they had written alongside the mighty RocKwiz Orkestra. Australia’s first musical comedy supergroup, The Grats – featuring Gatesy, Rusty Berther, Sammy J, Andrew Hansen… and Tom Gleeson – will also be performing together for the very first time.
New to The Garden in 2026 is Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett, a blend of breathtaking circus, gender-bending aerial and fire breathing performances from the hottest cabaret club from East Berlin. International sensations, The LadyBoys of Bangkok make their Garden debut with a glamorous, new performance complete with fresh choreography, couture-level costumes and a sassy soundtrack, while camp comedy parody, Fountain Lakes: Y2K will make its way exclusively to The Garden following the success of last year’s smash hit Fountain Lakes in Lockdown. For something different, direct from Las Vegas, Tape Face: 20 merges physical comedy, mime, and silent stand-up in one for an unforgettable performance that will leave audiences laughing, gasping, and lost for words.
The Garden will also see several returning favourites including high-flying, five-star hit La Ronde, promising a bolder, wilder, and more unmissable show than ever with a dizzying spectacle of glittering bodies, provocative energy, and raw talent straight from the world’s most elite stages. Hard Quiz and Taskmaster Australia host, Tom Gleeson, returns with a brand-new show, Tom Gleeson – Out of Touch, along with last year’s hit favourite Garry Starr: Classic Penguins, which took out Best Comedy Adelaide Fringe 2025, Best Comedy Fringe World 2025 and Most Outstanding Show at the 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Also returning is fringe favourite, Sh!t-faced Shakespeare with their hilarious (and tipsy) new take on one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Hamlet. Australia’s favourite comedy double act Lano & Woodley also return for a space adventure filled with their virtuosic physical routines and side-splitting fun.
Renowned for bringing the very best comedic talent together under one roof, The Garden will see Dave Hughes, Tommy Little, Celia Pacquola, Sammy J, Geraldine Hickey, The Umbilical Brothers, Ivan Aristeguieta, Rove McManus, Nurse Georgie Carroll, Merrick Watts, Heath Franklin’s Chopper, Stephen K Amos, Dane Simpson, Elouise Eftos, Effie, and Lawrence Mooney which will all leave the audience in stitches. The iconic Best of the Edinburgh Fest will also return to the stage, while social media sensations The Fairbairns and Tilly Oddy-Black will premiere their very first live shows, exclusive to The Garden.
The Garden will see a lush, expanded food program curated by acclaimed South Australian Chef, Duncan Welgemoed, offering audiences an eclectic and exciting range of food offerings and bringing to life an open-air pantry of South Australia’s best produce where guests can wander from fire-kissed local seafood to handmade dumplings, from rich Middle Eastern spice to plant-driven innovation.
The Garden Feast will again be a highlight of the 2026 season. Shining the spotlight on Australia’s vibrant cultural landscape, these three special long-table dinners under the stars will focus on different cuisines and feature a spectacular line up of chefs, including George Calombaris (The Greek Table), Matt Stone and Enrico Sgarbossa (La Dolce Tavola) and Annita Potter (Thai Spice Market), who will each be joined by captivating MCs and spectacular and surprising live performances to create the ultimate playground for all the senses.
A range of new family-friendly shows are also making their way to The Garden including The Luck Child, Splish Splash Science!, The Alphabet of Awesome Science, and Camp Culture, a fabulous circus adventure led by Faboriginal superstar Dale Woodbridge Brown. Returning favourites also include Trash Test Dummies, Amazing Drumming Monkeys – Dance Party, Peter Combe, Monski Mouse, and one of the youngest performers at the fringe, DJ Alba, with The Pinky Pie Party – Part 2.
Alongside headliners, La Ronde, The Garden’s eye-popping circus line-up includes Haus of Yolo, exclusive to Adelaide, where fashion, circus, and cabaret collide, Naughties, a Y2K highflying acrobatic extravaganza from YUCK Circus, Laser Kiwi – Everybody Knows, a world-class circus and sketch comedy, as well as another Adelaide exclusive, Keep in Touch, a breathtaking contemporary circus show all the way from Taiwan, and Bubble Show for Adults Only for its final season in Adelaide!
For those who love music and dance, The Garden has a spectacular and diverse line-up of talent to ensure guests party the night away. Platinum-selling, award-winning musician, Meg Washington, is bringing her Natural Beauty Tour in a singular evening of brilliance. MONSTR – The Best of MTV Unplugged, will also captivate audiences for one evening with members of iconic bands Taxiride, The Superjesus, Dragon and The Screaming Jets, as is the star of Jesus Christ Superstar, Michael Paynter, who will perform The Great Australian Songbook. Other musical acts include Trevor Jones – Sing It!, Zooma Zooma, Gigi Macfarlane from La Ronde and The Garden Sessions, a free showcase of superb First Nations SA musicians every Saturday afternoon.
Audiences should prepare to be captivated by the world’s most extraordinary illusionists and mentalists, including fan-favourites, Charlie Caper with his new show Charlie Caper – The Future featuring a dazzling collision of illusion and cutting-edge robotics, as well as “Abracadabra, B*tch!” – Starring Reuben Moreland, 1 Hour Of Insane Magic, and Maho Magic Bar.
Combining wit and creativity, there will be several theatrical shows including icons Rob Carlton with Virgin In A Knife Fight, and Brian Nankervis – The Beach House Years. Brand new show, Blushing, is a raw, bold, and electric visceral physical theatre show that dives deep into how touch shapes who we are, while Partying with Manson, a one-woman show that takes a dark comic ride through the mad world of Charles Manson, is new to The Garden, returning after a successful 2025 Adelaide Fringe season.
The Garden’s commitment to accessibility and inclusivity remains in full bloom, with an abundance of free entertainment available for all walks of life to enjoy. These include ABC Radio Adelaide’s Live Broadcast, The Garden Sessions, where guests can discover SA’s best, new and emerging Indigenous musicians live every Saturday afternoon, proudly supported by the Government of South Australia, the RAA Garden Party featuring a treasure trove of Garden acts every Sunday afternoon, Trevor Jones The Piano Man in the Wine Bar, The High Horse Knock Off Sessions, and The Deck with interstate and local DJs to dance the night away.
For over two decades, The Garden has played a vital role in nurturing some of Australia’s finest talent from Tim Minchin to Sam Simmons and Tommy Little. The addition of The Garden’s newest venue, The Criterion, gives audiences the opportunity to discover the most exciting new faces on the scene including Meg Jäger, Frankie McNair, The Burton Brothers and Christopher Hall.
Two new performance venues complete the 2026 Garden offering, where The Paragon will be home to circus, comedy and magic shows and will also play host to The Soda Room, a live podcast led by media personality, Mark ‘Soda’ Soderstrom, where he will ignite scintillating and unforgettable one-on-one conversations with favourite Garden stars.
With over 70 5-star reviews in 2025, The Garden continues its commitment to deliver the very best in entertainment cementing its global reputation as home to the “crème de la crème” of Fringe shows in Australia.
Michelle Buxton, Co-Director of The Garden of Unearthly Delights, says, “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.
“We’re thrilled to announce this epic program for our 26th year in Rundle Park/Kadlitpina and we know audiences will love these enthralling, unique and fabulous shows – our largest line-up since COVID in 2020!
“This will be our most dazzling season yet, and 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. It truly is a magical time in Adelaide, and we love being part of it every single year. Bring on the fabulous chaos of The Garden 2026!” continues Michelle.
The Garden would like to thank The Government of South Australia for their generous support of its 2026 season and welcome back the many partners and sponsors who help bring the magic of The Garden to life each year. Principal partner Coopers returns for its 14th year, continuing an incredible, long-standing relationship built on great beer and a shared love of festival culture. The RAA also returns with their much-loved free weekly showcase, the RAA Garden Party, giving visitors a taste of The Garden each Sunday. Alongside returning sponsors Smirnoff, Hesketh Wines, Barossa Valley Cider and Drakes, The Garden is thrilled to welcome new partners including the Maughan Thiem Automotive Group and Majestic Hotels and Apartments as its official accommodation partner for 2026.
TICKETS TO ALL SHOWS AT THE GARDEN OF UNEARTHLY DELIGHTS ARE ON SALE NOW
For the FULL PROGRAM and ticket bookings, visit gardenofunearthlydelights.com.au and adelaidefringe.com.au. ★ ENDS ★
THE GARDEN OF UNEARTHLY DELIGHTS
Rundle Park (Kadlitpina), East Terrace, Adelaide, SA
13 February – 22 March 2026
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