What’s Happening?
The inaugural Queensland Fringe Festival has completed its first regional run, ending at The Empire precinct in Toowoomba. The finale ran on 6 and 7 August after earlier stops in Charleville, Augathella and Roma.
Presented with The Empire by the Wynnum Fringe team, the festival paired recognised performers with regional artists. The program combined live performance, film, visual art and food across The Empire and Walton Stores.
Why It Matters
The touring model brought major cultural experiences closer to regional audiences, without requiring a trip to Brisbane. It also encouraged visitors to stay overnight, eat locally and spend time in communities along the route.
Festival Founder and Artistic Director Tom Oliver said the response showed strong demand outside the capital. “The response to Queensland Fringe from the Toowoomba arts community, the business community and the audience was incredible and inspiring,” Mr Oliver said. “Each night was a full house and the artists that live here are world class. Queensland Fringe is about creating a festival where you can jump in the car, travel through Queensland, stay overnight, discover a new town, eat at a local restaurant, meet local artists and then see an internationally recognised performer on a regional stage. That is a really powerful tourism proposition for Queensland.”
Local Impact
During the finale, audiences moved between venues across The Empire precinct and Walton Stores. This format shared attention between local performers, returning artists and internationally recognised acts.
The Empire CEO Giuliana Bonel said music, film, comedy, theatre and live entertainment filled the precinct.
“Queensland Fringe gave us an opportunity to use The Empire in a completely different way, with audiences moving throughout the precinct, discovering something unexpected and experiencing an extraordinary mix of artists and performances,” Ms Bonel said. “Throughout the festival, internationally recognised acts shared our stages with local performers, established artists returned home to share their work, and audiences discovered new talent along the way. That’s exactly what Fringe is all about. The response to the inaugural festival has demonstrated the appetite for ambitious arts experiences in regional Queensland. We were thrilled to partner with Queensland Fringe for their inaugural year and look forward to supporting this unmissable event in our region’s cultural calendar for many years to come.”
By the Numbers
- The festival travelled 1,472 kilometres, connecting four regional Queensland destinations.
- More than 4,350 people attended the Toowoomba finale at The Empire.
- The hub featured 13 performances, 55 artists and 63 arts workers across four simultaneous performance spaces. The precinct also had six bars and a 10-metre purple carpet.
Zoom In
Queensland Fringe launched in Charleville on 1 August with daytime access to the Charleville Horse and Motorcycle Gymkhana. An evening Fringe program followed at Cattle Camp Hotel with Festival Ambassador Wes Carr, local bush poets and musicians.
On 2 August, Augathella hosted a community celebration at Augathella Bowls Club, featuring Carr. Bar proceeds supported the local community.
Roma hosted an intimate music and tasting program at Western Queensland Spirits on 4 August. Carr joined local performers, while guests sampled whisky and gin.
The tour reached Toowoomba on 6 and 7 August, transforming The Empire precinct and Walton Stores. Jim Jefferies, Vanessa Amorosi, Dami Im and Wes Carr led the program.
MOCKINGBIRD, starring Mark Sholtez and Luke Kennedy, was also presented. Other works included Songs My Aunties Taught Me and Thom Pain (Based on Nothing).
Behind Don’t Tell, From Page to Stage, Twelve Days of Stillness and An Oak Tree also featured. The Shine Shootout included a film screening and question-and-answer session, while Sue Ray launched a single.
The Fern Sisters were among the emerging Queensland artists. Audiences also saw Lushhh Drag, Pole Angels and local musician Micah Walmsley.
Together, the program covered music, comedy, theatre, film, visual art and cabaret.
Artist in Residence Phoebe Paradise created Where the Wildflowers Are. The work was projected onto The Empire’s facade throughout the week.
Acclaimed chef Anthony Healy, the inaugural Rogue in Residence, created limited-edition dishes and immersive dining experiences. These offerings blurred the line between food, art and performance.
Zoom Out
The longer plan is a statewide cultural tourism event leading into the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Organisers want it to grow in scale, destinations, artists and experiences alongside Queensland’s creative and tourism sectors.
“We have an incredible opportunity between now and Brisbane 2032 to show the world that Queensland’s cultural story doesn’t stop at Brisbane. It travels across the entire state. Our ambition is to build Queensland Fringe into a statewide cultural tourism event that grows alongside Queensland’s creative industries and tourism economy. We want regional Queenslanders to have extraordinary creative experiences at their doorstep, while giving visitors another compelling reason to get on the road, stay longer and discover our regions,” Mr Oliver said.
The festival was presented with The Empire. Major partners included Toowoomba Regional Council, Enterprise Legal, Newlands Group and Oztix.
ALE, Bartons, Jayco Brisbane Camperland, Port of Brisbane and Subfracture were also major partners.
Sponsors included Bunker Insurance, Hutchison Builders, Murweh Shire Council, Tilly’s and Toowoomba Grammar School. Western Queensland Spirit The Distilling Co and Liquidity Marketing also sponsored the program.
Additional support came from ABC Radio, Queensland Country Tourism, Triple M Darling Downs and Tom Oliver Productions. The University of Southern Queensland and Queensland Government also supported the festival.
What To Look For Next?
Queensland Fringe plans to build on the model with more opportunities for regional audiences, artists and businesses. Its aim is to make Queensland a place where major cultural experiences can happen anywhere.
Future route, destination and program announcements will show how that plan develops before Brisbane 2032.
