The New Zealand Fringe Festival celebrates it’s 36th anniversary this year. This festival is one of the most beloved of the international fringe scene. We took a quick look at the programme to pick out five shows we think STARBURST readers would enjoy.
Cursed
Dark Gothic Stand-Up from Aimee Thorne, who has self-described their show as ‘Elvira meets the Spice Girls’ and ‘Siouxsie Sioux in Pastels’. The mix of dark themes with on the ball stand-up comedy is a killer combo. Check it out if you can.
Dune But Worse
The blurb simply says ‘Exactly what your think it is. Bring Spice’. Given that parody Dune shows are starting to out number parody Harry Potter shows, we’re not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds like it’d be fun to find out.
Blip To The Future
Time warp shenanigans, clowning, audio art and busking combine to create a unique, sci-fi inspired show. Enter the Chime Machine, apparently.
CLAM: The Circus* of Lord Azure the Miraculous
Circus murder mystery comedy with more than it’s fair share of the bizarre and wonderful? Sounds like ridiculous New Zealand fun to us.
The Valentina
Child-like wonder meets the history of space in this whimsical adventure to the mysterious planet, Vitanonan X. Family friendly fun with a sci-fi twist.
The 2026 New Zealand Fringe Festival runs from the 13th of February to the 7th of March, so if you happen to be on that side of the world, check it out. (Also check out our Adelaide Fringe 2026 picks )
