Fringe Fever hits Perth

Are you ready to Binge Fringe?

As Perth sizzles in a heat wave, a kaleidoscope of creativity is sizzling around the city. Fringe World Festival 2025 kicked off on 17 January with all its wonderful weirdness and runs until 16 February.

There is something for everyone – comedy, cabaret, circus, drag, theatre, music and magic shows for kids. This year there’s even a near-naked guy in a barely-there Penguin Suit performing every Penguin Classic novel ever written, in an hour. It’s a month of fun and frivolity.

Pleasure Garden, Russell Square. Credit Jean Hudson

Most of the action is around Fringe World’s Pleasure Garden in Russell Square, Northbridge, with a Big Top, Spiegeltent, Silent Disco, Fair Rides, Mermaids, bars and food outlets. There are other venues dotted across the metro area.

Fremantle Shipping News got fringy and attended two very different opening nights during the festival’s first week: The Soweto Gospel Choir – Hope, and Briefs: Jealousss.

The Soweto Gospel Choir – Hope

The colourful Soweto Gospel Choir is from Soweto ‘Southwest Township’ of Johannesburg. The energetic choir preformed to a packed hall at the Rechabite on William Street. Watching this gospel choir who are driven by faith, dignity and resistance is an incredibly moving and exhilarating experience. The show called ‘Hope’, is an all-new concert by the 3-time Grammy winning Soweto Gospel Choir and is so appropriate in these uncertain and turbulent times.

Credit Jean Hudson

The choir celebrates songs and anthems from the Freedom movement of Nelson Mandela’s South Africa, and the American Civil Rights Movement of Martin Luther King’s 1950’s America. Audiences enjoy the inspirational power of African Gospel and folk music. Their encore piece, a most beautiful rendition of Hallelujah from their new album ‘Hope’ gave me goosebumps. The standing audience joined in – singing and waving their arms. I can’t recommend this show enough, absolutely brilliant, it runs on Jan 25, 28 and 29 and February 4, 5 and 9 at The Rechabite. Don’t miss it.

Briefs: Jealousss

Briefs Factory performed at Fringe last year with a show called ‘Dirty Laundry’. Due to funding issues and to get to Perth’s Fringe this year, these gender-bending performers, bought a bus and named her ‘Hellen Back’ and drove across the Nullarbor from their hometown Brisbane to Perth. All they need now is an enormous high-heeled croc to go on top of the bus.

The bold and unapologetic show in the Aurora Spiegeltent at the Pleasure Garden; ignited the stage with drag, burlesque, circus and striptease with the usual sass and sauciness. Great costumes and breathtaking circus acts, as these supplied pics show.

Shows run until 16 February. Grab you tickets for some an incredible lineup of must-see shows! Look here to book your shows.

* By Jean Hudson @jeansodyssey. Jean is our Shipping Correspondent and also a regular feature writer and photographer here on the Shipping News. You may also like to follow up her informative Places I Love stories, as well as other feature stories and Freo Today photographs, right here.

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