If last year’s 10th anniversary Newcastle Fringe Festival gave you a taste of mischief, creativity and pure Fringe magic, 2026 is serving it up in triple helpings. Returning crowd favourites from home, interstate and abroad and a brilliant bunch of award-winning newcomers ready to dazzle, surprise and make their mark, prove Newy Fringe really is Australia’s Biggest Little Fringe!
Newcastle Fringe is open-access, independent and unfiltered. No curators, no gatekeepers – if you’ve got a show, you can take part. Fringe is where you’ll find the weird, the wonderful and the wildly original and it’s where stars are born.
250 SHOWS, 125 ACTS, 800 ARTISTS
The festival will launch with Fringe Feast, a free community street party on Saturday 14 March 2026, celebrating Hamilton’s vibrant food and entertainment scene. The event is supported by the City of Newcastle Special Business Rate funding. Building on the success of the 2025 event, Fringe Feast will fill the streets with music, colour and performance, creating a family-friendly celebration to mark the opening of the festival and featuring taster performances by Fringe artists.
Following Fringe Feast, audiences can enjoy three weekends of ticketed Fringe shows featuring over 250 performances across three hubs: Hamilton CBD, Newcastle Precinct, and Beach & ’Burbs (Merewether, Lambton).
Audiences can dive into an incredible opening weekend lineup featuring YouTube and TV celebrities, award-winners and homegrown talent including:
- Saksham Magic – the 23-year-old YouTube sensation (six million fans worldwide) and star of Ice Road Vengeance (Amazon Prime) brings his hit show Magical Madness to Fringe in a thrilling fusion of illusion and storytelling.
- Kate Wilkins & Nick Harriott: Let’s Unpack That – fresh from Melbourne Fringe, this comedy-concert duo brings songs, laughs and moving moments, produced by Grammy nominee Montaigne.
- Opera’s Bad Girl: Before Melba… There Was Anna Bishop – acclaimed soprano Sarahlouise Owens brings to life the untold story of opera’s original rebel in a spellbinding theatrical experience.
- Jean Kittson Live – the beloved Australian comedian, writer and TV personality returns to Newcastle Fringe with her signature wit and insight.
- Newymation Extravaganza – celebrating Newcastle’s thriving digital arts scene with animation, VFX, and game art from creators of all levels.
International artists returning to Newy Fringe this year include from the UK, comedy powerhouse Kate Smurthwaite with three shows including her beloved kid’s show Evolution Revolution, her sharp political comedy Severe Lacerations to Head, and Slight, a poetry show exploring love and grief. Also from the UK, The Giant Balloon Man will be delighting kids and adults alike with two shows this year.
On the domestic front, returning Australian favourites include award-winning theatre star Rob Carlton with Virgin in a Knife Fight, last year’s Best Show winners with both Bubble Show Adults Only and Bubble Show in Space, comedienne Vanessa Larry Mitchell with Teardrops On My Dildo: Fully Charged and Teardrops on My Dildo, the heart-stealing and multi-award winning Smile: The Story of Charlie Chaplin, and kids’ hero Mr Snotbottom with two shows he guarantees the adults will also love.
Closer to home, Newcastle’s own local gems are back to wow audiences: The Pretty Amazing Show, cult Fringe favourites Nerds & Music, cabaret divas Les Devine Folles á Newy, and Creative Creatures who blow audiences away every year plus loads more – proving our local scene is as bold, brilliant, and downright entertaining as ever. Wonderful to see our local emerging artists taking full advantage of fringe opportunities!
New to Newy Fringe in 2026? Prepare to be dazzled! International debuts include Canada’s The Routine (think Death of a Salesman meets Mr Bean), USA’s award-winning song-and-dance legend Melvin Brown, and Germany’s cabaret sensation Stefanie Rummel with Chansons: Piaf, Brel & Me. Homegrown and national highlights include Sydney Fringe Best Comedy winner Nun Slut, Adelaide Fringe favourite Becoming Benno, and the internationally renowned Hot Potato Band bringing their brass-powered funk spectacle to town. Don’t miss UK-born, Aussie-adored cabaret queen Dolly Diamond – bold, brassy, and utterly unmissable – and Skank Sinatra, two-time Adelaide Fringe Best Cabaret winner, serving Sinatra with sass, sequins, and show-stopping surprises.
And there’s so much more: the festival’s first True Crime Comedy Walking Tour with veteran comedian Shayne Hunter, stacks of kids’ shows, more comedy than Newy Fringe has ever had before, musical madness, poetry, cabaret, theatre, steamy burlesque, controversy, politics and surprises around every corner. With fresh talent and returning legends Newcastle Fringe 2026 is your three-week passport to the weird, the wonderful and the wildly original. With local heART and a global vibe – this is what art looks like when no one says no. It’s your fringe – come and do it your way!
The full 2026 program drops in January, with tickets on sale from 1 February at an average price of just $25–$30. Until then, follow @newcastlefringe on Facebook and Instagram for sneak peeks, early reveals and behind-the-scenes buzz – because the countdown to Fringe has officially begun.
Pro-tip: Buy your tickets early as most shows are 10% off from 1 Feb to 14 Feb!