NZ Fringe Festival 20th birthday

The New Zealand Fringe Festival 2010 Programme Launch
Thursday 28 January 
Mighty Mighty, 104 Cuba Street Wellington. 

The New Zealand Fringe Festival and 20th birthday launch was held at Wellington's Mighty Mighty in the creative Cuba precinct recently.

A burlesque beauty jumped out of a supercake and guests swapped glass beads for cranberry vodkas whilst comedian Mr Raybon Kan MCd the party.

Goodie bags included real goodies: chocolates, sweets, free dessert and coffee vouchers. All a girl needs.

Pictured left: Cynthia Greep with a drag queen entertainer at the launch party and below, Angelina Lee with the burlesque dancer who jumped out a giant cake.



The Fringe Festival is made up of over 80 events over three weeks. It includes performances spanning genres of music, theatre, dance, comedy and visual arts, and there will probably be some new genres discovered too.

Past performers have included comedians Rhys Darby and Ben Hurley, Flight of the Conchords and Strike Percussion.

The evening also included stunning masquerade tango dancers, musical comedy from the One Night Stands and video vignettes from the awfully terrific hosts of the Fringe's very own talk show The Chit Chat Lounge, Derek Flores and Vinyl Burns.

2010 events run from February 12 through to March 6 with an awards closing party to be held at the Paramount Theatre.

The opening event is a lunch time special - ‘Running of the Fringe’. Cuba Street and Manners Mall will be overrun with fancy free artists and fringe performers unleashing their talents admist the coffee drinkers.

Bogans, Sunday roast, pinafores and pantyhose…There are plenty of events to suit all. We are booking in for events such as ‘SALON’, a show held at Fallen From Grace Hair Salon which explores the world of hair styling and salons, and a dance forum ‘Perforum’ led by Footnote Director Deirdre Tarrant which includes performance by the fabulous Footnote Dancers.

Fringe Festival information can be found at www.fringe.co.nz.

Key Fringe 2010 dates

January 28: Programme Launch media event
February 12: Fringe 2010 launches
March 7: Fringe Awards and festival ends

By Cynthia Greep and photos by Angelina Lee