A week after the 2026 Festival wraps, Fringe Encore: Ballarat brings the adventurous spirit of Melbourne Fringe to regional Victoria for a vibrant weekend of surprising art.
Here's some inspo for some fringe fun in Ballarat from 22-25 October. We've dropped enough recommendations to keep you busy for four days, but with a variety of showtimes, you can make an amazing race of it in one day or spread the mischief over a whole weekend.
Our tips not your jam? Make use of the faves function on our site to build your own itinerary or see what else is on for your travel dates.
FRINGE ENCORE: BALLARAT SHOW TIMES AT A GLANCE
See one, see them all...check in with Fringe to book your tickets.
DEGUSTATION: Ballarat Mining Exchange. Ticketed. Thurs 22 Oct (6pm, 8.30pm), Fri 23 Oct (6pm, 8.30pm), Sat 24 Oct (1pm, 5pm), Sun 25 Oct (1pm, 5pm).
FOUNTAIN LAKES: Y2K, Civic Hall. Ticketed. Thurs 22 Oct (7pm), Fri 23 Oct (8pm), Sat 24 Oct (8pm), Sun 25 Oct (3pm)
COMEDY: TBA
OCKER: Sat 24 Oct and Sun 25 Oct (11am and 2pm), Civic Hall forecourt. FREE.
OPEN PROGRAM: TBA
Fountain Lakes: Y2K
The foxy ladies behind last year's smash hit Fountain Lakes In Lockdown are back with a fabulous, brand new show! Grab your butterfly clips and low-rise bumpsters, hornbags, because we're doing the prequel that nobody asked for but everybody is going to go sick for. Will Kath find her dream spunk rat? Will Kim go through with her upcoming connubials? Will Sharon score a midnight pash before the millennium bug gets her? All will be answered in this hilarious camp comedy parody.
Pat’s Sandwiches
Piano Bar Ballarat
Degustation
Degustation is a new work from One Fell Swoop Circus that brings contemporary circus and cuisine into one shared sensory experience. Created with chef Shu Liu of SHU Restaurant, the show unfolds like a tasting menu: a degustation of circus, where each course invites its own unique moment of delight.
Ballarat Farmers' Market
9am - 1pm, Saturday 24 October, set alongside the Ballarat Botanical Gardens and Lake Wendouree. Featuring everything from fudge to gin, the market’s many vendors are seasonal producers, with anywhere from 80 to 130 stalls on offer at each market.
Ballarat Botanical Gardens, North Gardens Reserve
401-405 Wendouree Parade, Lake Wendouree VIC 3350
Get directions
Kittelty’s
Black Cat Truffles by Liam Downes
Babae At Hotel Vera
Il Piccolo Gelato
Ocker
Forget Poetic. This is Aussie culture chewed up and spewed onto the streets. A show in motion, Ocker is a roving circus show tearing through the streets on a portable railway track built in real time. This modern-day hunting party weaves through crowds, laying track wherever the chase leads. Down laneways, through parks, and over tram lines, the troupe is chasing something just out of reach. Free (Unticketed) at Civic Hall, Saturday 24 October and Sunday 25 October
Yellow Espresso
The Pottage – Pottery and Ceramics Studio
The Pottage – Pottery and Ceramics Studio
67-69 Bridge Mall, Ballarat Central, VIC 3350
Get directions
Art Gallery of Ballarat / Backspace Gallery
Field Street Mural
Created by Melbourne street artist Chuck Mayfield with assistance from local artist Cax One, The Field Street mural in Ballarat is a massive 13-meter-high public artwork located on Field Street (between Camp and Cattan streets). The artists worked with First Nations traditional custodians and Ballarat community members to explore the city's unique and sometimes complex stories.
Field Street Mural
Get directions
Murrup Laarr Ancestral Stones
Froyo & Co
AURA Sound and Light Show at Sovereign Hill
Hydrant Food Hall
1816 Bakehouse
Hop Temple
Aunty Jacks
Ballarat Vintage and Collectables Market
Ballarat Vintage and Collectables Market
9367 National Highway M8, Warrenheip, VIC 3352
Get directionsAll done!
More Itineraries
7.4km
1 Day
Food lover
94.9km
2 Days
Breweries and distilleries
