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Hugh Sheridan's guide to the Adelaide Fringe
08 FEB 2026
A great festival is found in the space between the standing ovations.
For Adelaide-born performer and four-time Logie winner Hugh Sheridan, those spaces feel like home. His return to the Adelaide Fringe with the California Crooners Club isn’t just another stop on a tour – it’s a homecoming. He’s reuniting the band in the place where it all started. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be back in Adelaide,” he says.
Hugh’s no stranger to the way this festival spills out of the theatres and into the everyday life of this city. You’ll find him right in the thick of it – waiting for a coffee as a street performer fills the laneway or sharing a front bar with a still-costumed acrobat. “It’s my favourite arts festival in the world,” he says.
Consider this your open invitation to the Adelaide Fringe through Hugh’s eyes: a collection of shows he’s cleared his calendar for and his favourite local haunts for the moments in-between.
Hugh Sheridan's Adelaide Fringe highlights
The Adelaide Fringe shows he's making time for:
St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral
Step out of the Fringe noise and into the cool quiet of Cathedral Chiaruscuro. It’s the antidote to packed venues, tucked inside one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. Here, light and sound wash slowly across old stone walls, creating a moment that feels deliberately unhurried. It’s the kind of Fringe experience that asks nothing of you but a little stillness.
We couldn’t let Hugh pick his top eight shows without mentioning his own, and honestly, we’re glad he did. “I feel enormously proud that my show, California Crooners Club, was born at this very festival," Hugh says. "After a few years break, we are bringing back the original band and a brand-new show.” It’s world-class and slick, but it still feels like a big, joyful catch-up with old mates — the kind of night that reminds you why you love the Adelaide Fringe.
The Garden of Unearthly Delights
This one’s pure fun. The LadyBoys of Bangkok has big cabaret energy, incredible costumes and choreography that pulls you in fast — exactly the kind of show Adelaide Fringe was made for.
Holden Street Theatres
Sharp, funny and just uncomfortable enough to stick with you. Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x) leans into satire with a knowing wink — the kind of Fringe show that sparks conversation long after you’ve left the theatre.
The Courtyard of Curiosities at the State Library
It’s just James Rowland, a stage and a true story about his mate Tom. You’ll laugh, you’ll probably get a bit dusty-eyed and you’ll definitely want to call your friend as soon as you walk out.
Across multiple venues and regions
Step inside Immersive Worlds and leave reality at the door. It’s a bit of a trip — you put on a VR headset, or sit under a massive 360° dome, and suddenly you’re drifting through the deep ocean or sailing a sea of stars. One moment you’re inside a piece of music or a work of art, the next you’re part of the experience itself, with sound, visuals and story unfolding all around you. You’ll find Immersive Worlds events across Adelaide, with the program also spilling out to Whyalla and Mount Gambier. It's a pretty good excuse to see more of South Australia as our festival season spills out across the state.
A bit of burlesque, a bit of fire and some incredible aerial work from a cast that really knows their stuff. Lash Out is a high-energy, all-female show that’s less about the glitz and more about the raw skill and having a good time.
Hugh's off-stage recommendations between shows:
1 / 4
The pre-show ritual: 2KW Bar and Restaurant
"2KW is always a favourite when I’m back in Adelaide,” Hugh tells us — and we get it. The double elevator ride lifts you eight floors above King William Street, and as you walk out across the rooftop bar, the city unfolds for you. Ahead the iconic curves of the Adelaide Oval reflect the late summer light, while just beneath your feet commuters cross through the heart of the city. Stop by for a quick drink as the DJ spins something low-key in the background or settle in for a long lunch or dinner and let time disappear (until you remember you’ve got a show to catch). It’s intimate, alive and as Hugh says, "It just feels like Adelaide at its best."
2 / 4
The post-show dinner and drink: OMADA Bar & Grill
“OMADA is fresh and full of energy. The kind of place you go for ‘one drink’ and end up staying all night,” Hugh says. He’s right; there’s a certain pull to those massive cobalt-blue doors on the corner of Currie and Leigh Street. What lies behind them is a big, loud embrace of a room that treats you like family from the first ‘hello’. You don’t just read the menu here, you smell it: the drift of wood-smoke and charred octopus hitting you before you’ve even found your seat. It’s a place built for long tables and passing plates of gyros and saganaki, where the house-made ouzo flows as easily as the conversation. Consider this the best seat in town for your post-show debrief, that’s in no hurry to end.
3 / 4
The mid-festival reset: Fleurieu Peninsula
There’s a specific moment on the drive south where the road crests the hill as the city drops into the rearview. Suddenly, it’s all rolling green paddocks on one side and the deep, sparkling blue of the gulf on the other. This is the Fleurieu Peninsula - Hugh’s go-to spot for a quick reset. It’s only an hour from the CBD, but it’s a welcome deep breath during the rush of festival season in our city. Out here, it’s all about sandy floorboards, sun-warmed fruit and the feeling of salt-crusted skin after a swim beneath the limestone cliffs. “There’s nothing better than long beach walks on the Fleurieu. The salty air, the slow pace and finishing it all with a long, lazy lunch at the Star of Greece overlooking the ocean,” Hugh says.
4 / 4
The home-base: The Kentish
“You can’t beat a classic pub, and The Kentish does it beautifully,” Hugh says. There is a steady, unhurried energy here that only comes with time. Founded in 1848 by the man who mowed the first wicket at the Adelaide Oval, it’s a pub that has seen more than its fair share of history. They've used that time to double down on life's simple pleasures: the condensation of a cold imperial pint, the crunch of a perfectly crumbed schnitzel and the easy, first-name service that makes you feel like a local by the second round. It’s the perfect spot to debrief on your favourite Fringe shows over a front bar full of stories.
