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. Mix and match as the mood takes you.
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.
| Show | Thurs 22 Oct | Fri 23 Oct | Sat 24 Oct | Sun 25 Oct |
| FOUNTAIN LAKES Y2K (75min) Civic Hall | 7pm | 8pm | 8pm | 3pm |
| DEGUSTATION (90min) Ballarat Mining Exchange | 6pm, 8.30pm | 6pm, 8.30pm | 1pm, 5pm | 1pm, 5pm |
| OCKER (60min) FREE Civic Hall Forecourt | 11am, 2pm | 11am, 2pm | ||
| SAMMY J Hero Complex (60min) Civic Hall | 6pm | |||
| ELAINE CROMBIE Grief, Love and Lead Balloons (60min) Federation University Post Office Box Theatre | 5.30pm | 4.30pm | ||
| KELLY LIM HARRIS Yellow Fever: An Original Musical Cabaret (60min) Ballaarat Mechanics Institute | 5.30pm | 5.30pm | 5.30pm | |
| DUNE BUT WORSE (50min) Ballaarat Mechanics Institute | 8.30pm | 8.30pm | 8.30pm | |
| CONK Man Sings the Same Song Over and Over Again for an Hour (60min) Federation University Post Office Box Theatre | 8.30pm | 8.30pm | 8.30pm | 7.30pm |
Fountain Lakes: Y2K (Civic Hall)
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
Kelly Lim Harris Yellow Fever: An Original Musical Cabaret (Ballaarat Mechanics Institute)
A shocking, hilarious, heartfelt quest for love beyond fetish.
Dune But Worse (Ballaarat Mechanics Institute)
Obsessed, inept, unbothered. Bring spice.
Degustation (Ballarat Mining Exchange)
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
Sammy J - Hero Complex (Civic Hall)
Sammy J's award-winning, real-life, hilarious tale returns with bonus content and fresh surprises!
Hydrant Food Hall
1816 Bakehouse
Hop Temple
Aunty Jacks
Man Sings the Same Song Over and Over Again for an Hour (Fed Uni Post Office Box Theatre)
One Man. One Song. One Hour. Winner Spirit of the Fringe & Edinburgh Tour Awards 2025 Award winning comedian Conk takes to the stage and sings the same song over and over again on repeat for an entire hour. That's it. That's the show. Which song? You'll have to come and find out.
Federation University Ballarat - Post Office Box Theatre
Federation University, Camp Street Campus, Cnr Sturt St and, Lydiard St S, Ballarat Central, Victoria, 3350
Get directions
Irish Murphy’s Ballarat
Itinerant Spirits
Ocker (Civic Hall Forecourt)
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
Elaine Crombie: Grief, Love and Lead Balloons (Fed Uni Post Office Box Theatre)
A proud Pitjantjatjara, Warrigmal, South Sea, and German descendant, Elaine Crombie is a storyteller with razor-sharp comic timing and a powerful stage presence. Effortlessly moving between comedy and drama, her stories are as heartfelt as they are hilarious.
Federation University Ballarat - Post Office Box Theatre
Federation University, Camp Street Campus, Cnr Sturt St and, Lydiard St S, Ballarat Central, Victoria, 3350
Get directions
Fu Man Lou Dumpling Bar
AURA Sound and Light Show at Sovereign Hill
All done!
More Itineraries
21km
1 day
Day trip
