WELCOME!

After a few difficult years, and a couple of experimental years this year truly feels like Sydney Fringe Festival has arrived.

Over the past decade we’ve firmly established ourselves more broadly as the largest independent arts festival in NSW, but now we are claiming our space within our city limits louder, more bolder than ever before.

Our Festival Garden has expanded, our activations have grown, and our festival hubs are bursting at the seams with incredible locally made work across all genres.

Sydney Fringe is THE moment for our Sydneybased artists, our local stories and hundreds of world premieres to be seen, heard and celebrated. With hundreds of shows and thousands of performances there is something for everyone.

A very warm welcome to the 2023 Sydney Fringe Festival. We are absolutely delighted to be able to present our fourteenth festival this year.

The team have been working tirelessly to provide a platform for over 400 local productions and additional visiting shows to take part across Greater Sydney. Last year our festival provided a huge economic impact of over $36million and importantly supported over 2000 artists to have their voices heard.

I do hope you enjoy this year’s program and are able to get out and enjoy all that the festival and our beautiful city have to offer. And a big congratulations to our CEO and Festival Director Kerri Glasscock who is celebrating her tenth festival this year.

It is tremendous to see how far we have come over the years and the impact our beloved festival now has to the sector.

There is something special about the Sydney Fringe Festival. There is an edge to it I have always loved. It represents exactly the vibrancy I think of when I talk about Sydney being the first stop for culture in Australia. Starting in 2009 with a bold ambition to be one of the world’s leading open-access Fringe Festivals, it has grown to be a significant cultural player – with a strong vision for growth. As the largest independent arts Festival in NSW, Sydney Fringe supports the work of 2,000 local artists — and thousands of attendees who can – and do – explore and enjoy a broad ranging program. After its $36 million of economic impact last year, this year it boasts a new expanded Festival Garden at the Entertainment Quarter and Festival Hubs in Parramatta and Hurstville. With over 400 shows and thousands of individual performances across the wide footprint it unlocks areas of the city, and in doing so, offers opportunities for audiences to explore and be delighted in the unexpected.

It’s fabulous to welcome Sydney Fringe Festival back for another year of exciting events and shows that bring vibrance and culture to our night-time economy.

As Lord Mayor I’m thrilled to support this month-long artistic showcase with more than $300,000 in support from the City of Sydney. Sydney Fringe not only boasts a program of more than 400 events, it’s inclusive, supporting First Nations, youth and artists with disability. There’s much to explore — I hope you have fun at this unique festival!

We are proud to be a sponsor of the Sydney Fringe Festival and excited that the Sydney Fringe has found a home at Marrickville Town Hall. We wish you all a successful and spectacular Festival and look forward to many more.

TURN OVER TO DIVE INTO THE PROGRAM!

Welcome to The Sydney Fringe Festival 2023!

A month of delicious, unfiltered, eclectic performances, where literally anything could happen.

From Parramatta to our beautiful harbour, across the CBD to the inner eastern and western suburbs you can find our Festival spread across every inch of the city. So no matter where you end up at Sydney Fringe, we guarantee an unforgettable experience that will stay with you long after the Festival ends. Prepare to be captivated by an array of performances of every genre that defy convention and challenge expectations.

Fringe is the only place where you can see hundreds of world premieres in your own backyard. And if you are a visitor to our incredible city there is no better way to experience Sydney's unique stories.

This September, leave your expectations at home, as we paint the town pink to showcase the vibrant, experimental, expressive, playful and diverse Sydney that dreams are made of. Grab your tickets and paint the town pink!