Hundreds of interstate and Queensland artists and entertainers will converge on Australia’s latest and greatest performing arts hub from 16 November to 4 December 2022 for the third annual Wynnum Fringe.
Brisbane’s only annual fringe festival celebrates the best in contemporary, independent and alternative arts and entertainment and is expected to attract more than 35,000 people over the 19-day event.
Additionally, Wynnum Fringe has appointed four high-profile Festival Ambassadors: Queen of Pop Marcia Hines AM, international sports star and Wynnum local Vicki Wilson OAM, and ABC Breakfast presenters Loretta Ryan and Craig Zonca.
The three-week arts, entertainment and cultural extravaganza spans a dazzling array of performance genres including music, dance, comedy, theatre, cabaret, burlesque, circus as well as weekend family programming.
After seven years of performing to thunderous applause in sold-out shows, Velvet Rewired, the glittering, high-energy fusion of disco, dance, burlesque and circus, kicks off its Australian tour in the Raine & Horne Wynnum Spiegeltent, located in the Wynnum Fringe Garden, a new festival hub at George Clayton Park on the shores of Moreton Bay.
A fabulous cast of acrobats, aerialists, vocalists and circus performers, led by Australian music royalty Marcia Hines, will wow audiences over three weeks, ahead of a season at Sydney Opera House.
Wynnum Fringe Founder and Director Tom Oliver said he was both delighted and proud to bring the global disco phenomenon to his hometown.
“My journey from a lead role in the original production of Velvet to being a co-producer on the new version to finally bringing Marcia and our talented cast, including my good mate Craig the Incredible Hula Boy, to Wynnum Fringe as part of a national tour is extremely exciting,” said Mr Oliver.
“Wynnum has never had a Spiegeltent – let alone hosted a national production of this magnitude and size – and we’ve curated a three-week program of local music and comedy acts as well. I can’t wait to announce the full line-up soon!”
Other Wynnum Fringe 2022 first-release program highlights include comedians Dave Hughes, Garry Starr presents Greece Lightning, Cal Wilson, Georgie Carroll and Akmal Saleh and The Voice Australia 2022 finalist, Thando Sikwila.
Head First Acrobats hosts the hedonistic circus event, GODZ, and indelibility arts brings its Matilda Award-winning immersive, interactive and accessible story for children, Wilbur the Optical Whale, back to the stage.
Wynnum Fringe also features a turf war of boogie proportions when Wynnum takes on Manly in an amateur dance eisteddfod for all ages led by Common People Dance Project.
Visitors can also enjoy outdoor bars and food trucks, waterfront stage shows, engaging First Nations programming including yana marumba (Walk Good) – an opening ceremony tradition – and live music in Miles: The Caravan Stage.
Mr Oliver, who was integral in bringing Brisbane’s own country music festival Murarrie Muster and 2021’s live-music concert Rock the Bay to Wynnum, said his team was proud to present an impressively expanding Wynnum Fringe.
“It’s been such a massive leap in three years to go from three days to three weeks,” said Mr Oliver. “You know the phrase ‘go big or go home’? That’s what we are doing because we believe in the arts and we believe in our community.
“The team and I have been working day and night to bring Wynnum Fringe back for a third year and as an independent organisation, this takes a huge amount of effort, risk and grit.”
“Wynnum Fringe is a huge asset for our creative community, an economic boost for our tourism and business communities and puts Wynnum on the global cultural map,” said Mr Oliver.
Wynnum Fringe 2022 runs 16 November to 4 December. Full program will be announced in September. For more information, visit: www.wynnumfringe.com for details.
Image: Wynnum Fringe Logo (supplied)