Whangārei Fringe Launches A Monster 2024 Line-up

Dance shows about motherhood, a surreal act involving olives in a big-top circus tent, an award-winning mystery theatre show involving a bag of chips, a vaudeville of flowers, vampires and much more are all on offer in Whangārei Fringe’s newly launched 2024 programme.

From Friday 27 September to Sunday 13 October, Whangārei will be filled with creative offerings from national names and up-and-coming talents. The festival, which happens once every two years, boasts a line-up of more than 110 events at 25 venues across 17 days.

This year’s programme features theatre, music, comedy, cabaret, art, digital technology, circus, workshops and much more; just over half of the festival’s events are by creatives from Te Tai Tokerau. The many family-friendly events will keep kids entertained during the school holidays, and continuing the festival’s kaupapa of accessibility, a quarter of all events are free or only require a koha for entry.

Big names coming to town include Billy T Award-winning comedian Kura Forrester, multi-disciplinary artist Liv Tennet (Kiri and Lou, Power Rangers RPM, Shortland Street), Jonny Brugh aka Deacon the Vampire (What We Do In The Shadows), and Tom Sainsbury as part of comedy-dance show The Children of Sacred Valley.

In a first for the festival, the Whangārei Fringe team is bringing a big-top circus tent to town to house the programme’s many circus, cabaret and burlesque events. Pūtahi Park will be home to late-night shows for adults, family-friendly fun and circus workshops for kids.

Whangārei Fringe co-founder and producer Laurel Devenie says, “Whangārei Fringe is a unique community celebration of Whangārei’s homegrown talent and our city. We’re so excited by the number of local people presenting new work and ideas this year, and also the number of great local venues, spaces and organisations who are coming on board to support the many different artists and community members participating.

“Fringe is a platform for elevating people's voices, celebrating the diverse community we live in and exploring new ways of exchanging stories,” adds Devenie.

Popular pop-up comedy venue Fringe After Dark is returning, this time to the upstairs space in The Strand that once housed Lit Cafe & Bar. Comedians due to perform there include Eli Matthewson (Celebrity Treasure Island, winner of Best Comedy Award at Dunedin Fringe 2024), and Fringe favourites Barnie Duncan and Bullrush.

The festival’s free community event, now called Light the City with Northpower!, returns to Pūtahi Park on Wednesday 2 October. It’s an evening of music, performances, fire shows, food and more for the whole family.

Some of the best Fringe events contain an element of mystery. Whangārei Fringe co-founder and producer Clark says, "This Fringe, we've got some amazing acts, art installations and performances popping up all over the city. These surprise events will be spontaneous and are only hinted at in the printed programme, so keep an eye on our Fringe social media for the latest updates. We can't wait to see you at these fantastic pop-up performances!"

The tentacles of Whangārei Fringe extend as far afield as Hikurangi this year, with events at Hiku Gallery including the award-winning Walking Songs, a mix of story and song about a solo trek along Te Araroa. Fringe artists are also tackling some of the big issues of our time – such as climate change, colonisation, the challenges migrants face in New Zealand, menopause, AI and facial recognition technology.

Tickets are on sale now at eventfinda.co.nz and in person from the Fringe box office at ONEONESIX (open Monday to Friday 10am-1pm, from Monday 9 September). Full festival details are available at whangareifringe.co.nz, where audiences can also search for events by date and genre.

Whangārei Fringe is supported by festival partners Creative New Zealand, Foundation North and Northland Inc; platinum sponsor Northpower; and key supporters Oneonesix, Pub Charity Limited, Supacolour, Belltech, Just Cabins, Whangārei District Creative Communities Scheme, Creative Northland, Ecosse and Whangarei District Council.

Check out the full programme line-up at whangareifringe.co.nz/whats-on/ and book your tickets now!

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