Dubbed the biggest little fringe in Australia, Newcastle Fringe Festival is an edgy, diverse, inspirational and super creative festival that showcases a smorgasbord of performing arts for five amazing days across several venues. With comedy, theatre, children’s theatre, music, dance, cabaret and circus there is something for everyone.
For those with kids, get ready for Fringe for Families, a massive weekend of performing arts at The Station on Saturday and Sunday, March 20 & 21. It promises to be an action-packed, fun-filled adventure for families, with most of the action free of charge.
The weekend features street artists, fringe artists doing teasers & tasters of their fringe shows,
markets, food trucks, live music, a cultural marketplace to learn about all the amazing creative arts
in Newcastle
Saturday 20 March from 9am to 2pm
Homegrown Markets
Homegrown Markets will be at The Station, Newcastle with artisan stalls and food trucks. The market includes handmade and eco focused shopping, local foodies and coffee.
Hannah Indigo Hoops
Spot Hannah Indigo Hoops stiltwalking and providing roving entertainment.
Curious Legends
Keep an eye out for the Wish Dragon. This beautiful creation by Curious Legends makes a visit to The Station.
Newcastle Fire + Flow
Keep an eye out for the mermaids and fairies to entertain the littlies.
In addition, there will be kids workshops on theatre, trash art and parkour. The workshops are all reasonably priced with the highest being $10.75.
Sunday 21 March from 4pm to 10pm
Hunter Arts Network Art Bazaar
Wander through the Art Bazaar, the Hunter’s premier artisan & design marketplace.
Made in Newcastle Street Show Festival
Enjoy entertainment from artists such as The Pretty Amazing Jono, Shaun Swadling, Bravissimo
Hoops, and Hannah Indigo Hoops. There will be food trucks and bar available for your food and drink needs.
Ukestra
Listen to the melodic tones of ukeleles.
Live music
Enjoy music all evening from Julieanne McVey, Nerds and Music, Breeze and Maynard.
Theatre Shows running all weekend
In addition to the Fringe for Families weekend at The Station, there will be kids and teen shows running at various locations. Ticket price applies.
Switch Witchetty’s Almanac of Everything
A high-energy fairy tale adventure played on a set of milk-crates, bed sheets, and newspaper swords,
using original music and comedy to question the role empathy plays in decision making. Switch has left audiences laughing and singing along from Sydney to Edinburgh. Ages 5+.
Do the Hibble Hop
Hip hop artist, school teacher and counsellor, Hesh Habibullah, is set to bring his one man children’s show Do the Hibble Hop to the 2021 Newcastle Fringe! The show combines hip hop, puppetry, rap, storytelling, and dance to take children on a journey to learn about animals, the alphabet, basic counting, and healthy food options. Do the Hibble Hop is a hip hop experience for children that will have them singing and dancing all the way home and maybe right up until bed time… sorry parents! Ages 2 – 10.
Circus Box
Circus Box is street theatre and highlights three original virtuoso acts in the traditional circus ring. The outdoor performance celebrates underwater acrobatics, ephemeral puppetry and death-defying fire hoop diving. All ages.
Moth
Sebastian is a terminally unpopular fifteen-year-old suburban kid, with an overactive imagination and an obsession with anime and death. His only friend, Claryssa, is an emo Wiccan art-freak barely one rung higher than Sebastian on the social ladder. What starts as just another night drinking down at the cricket nets soon gives way to an ecstatic vision that leaves Sebastian unconscious, their friendship left in ruin. Suitable for teens and adults.
Samson
Essie, Beth, Sid and Rabbit are growing up at the arse end of the world. Boredom, decay and violence plague their lives. The accidental death of a friend has torn apart all their assumptions about loyalty, love and life. And when a new kid comes to town with his own secrets and baggage, their fragile equilibrium faces a fresh test. Samson fizzes with truth; it is brutal yet gentle, funny yet sad, young yet old. At its heart is the startling idea that the death of someone important can be the start of something excellent. Julia-Rose Lewis’s Samson, is a big-hearted and darkly beautiful play which offers a window into the world of young Australians today. Suitable for teens and adults.
Gaybies
Hotly political and deeply personal, Dean Bryant’s Gaybies is a funny and moving piece of verbatim theatre that tells the story of children who have grown up with gay parents. Drawn straight from interviews with children aged four to forty, these are authentic accounts of family life told with humour, honesty and wisdom. This show will inspire and inform you on what it’s like to grow up in families that were once considered hypothetical and now are controversial. Presented as a semi-staged reading. Suitable for teens and adults.
For more information, visit the Newcastle Fringe Festival website or download their program guide.
Started in late 2012 by a local mum, Newy with Kids has grown into a thriving go-to family guide for the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie & Hunter region. Parents visit the Newy with Kids website to find things to do with babies, kids and teens. Whether it’s local attractions, upcoming events, kids eat free, school holiday activities or birthday party ideas, Newy with Kids is the best website for local parents to find local kid-friendly activities and information 24/7.
