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.
SHOW YOUR TICKETS, GET A DEAL
Show your Fringe Encore: Ballarat ticket at participating venues including Renard, Pancho, Meigas, The Salty Sparrow, Ellington's Wine Bar, L'espresso, Aunty Jacks, Hop Temple, Roy Hammond, Grainery Lane, The George and Dear Eliza to unlock exclusive offers, from discounted meals and cocktails to complimentary drinks and Fringe-only specials. More details on the Fringe website.
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 | |
| Quiet RIOT and Darby James, Little Squirt (60min) Ballaarat Mechanics Institute | 7pm | 7pm | 7pm | |
| 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 |
| Murder in the Market: A Murder Village Improvised Whodunnit (60min) Ballaarat Mechanics Institute | 8.30pm | 8.30pm | 8.30pm | |
| 100BPM (60min) Ballarat Performing Arts Centre | 6pm, 7.30pm | |||
| Harold Holt: The Man, The Myth, The Pool (60min) Federation University Post Office Box Theatre | 7pm | 7pm | 7pm | 6pm |
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.
The Salty Sparrow Cafe
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
Roy Hammond
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
Mondegreen Cafe
Murder in the Market: A Murder Village Improvised Whodunnit
Melbourne's award-winning improvised whodunnit returns with a brand-new show.
100BPM
100BPM is a heartwarming contemporary dance work inspired by the pulse that connects us all. Ancestral and modern gestures intertwine to create a relatable celebration of connection, culture and shared humanity.
Harold Holt: The Man, The Myth, The Pool
I made a replica of the Harold Holt Swim Centre and this show's about that.
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
Grainery Lane
Little Squirt
A one man musical cabaret about sperm donation. Darby clicks on a Facebook ad for sperm donation and sets sail across the seas of queer existential mayhem, discovering the absurdities of clinical procreation and considering his own future as a potential gay parent. Join musical comedian Darby James for his multi-award-winning cabaret about the process of sperm donation. As he navigates questionnaires, psychological evaluations and questions of parenthood, Darby finds himself stranded as a seaman in moral purgatory, facing the question: Should we be having children?
All done!
More Itineraries
7.4km
1 Day
Food lover
21km
1 day
Day trip
94.9km
2 Days
Breweries and distilleries