Adelaide University is partnering with Adelaide Fringe, bringing together Australia’s newest major university and its biggest arts festival to support emerging artists, expand access to live arts, and create new creative pathways for students and communities across South Australia.
In its first year as a major partner of Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide University will support a suite of initiatives spanning subsidised ticketing, regional touring and student industry engagement, reinforcing its commitment to creativity, inclusion and cultural leadership. The partnership builds on longstanding collaboration where both legacy institutions, the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide, have partnered with Adelaide Fringe.
Professor Jessica Gallagher, Deputy Vice Chancellor – International and External Engagement at Adelaide University, said the partnership reflects the University’s ongoing commitment to South Australia’s arts and culture sector.
“Adelaide University is proud to partner with Adelaide Fringe, helping shape the State’s creative future,” Professor Gallagher said.
“Our foundation is formed from a long history of excellence in the arts, alongside a suite of programs designed to broadening access to arts and culture. Working with Adelaide Fringe allows us to support emerging talent and creative experimentation, while strengthening meaningful connections between artists, industry, students and communities.
This collaboration removes barriers to accessing the arts and ensures more people across South Australia can engage with world-class creative experiences. It reflects our commitment to equity, access and cultural leadership in action.”
At the heart of the partnership is the Support Act, a subsidised ticket initiative offering $10 tickets to Fringe performances by emerging South Australian artists within their first five years of practice. Adelaide University, in collaboration with the Nunn Dimos Foundation, make this program possible to ensure artists are paid in full while audiences are offered more affordable access to fresh and diverse work.
The partnership has also driven significant regional impact, by investing in events across the State. This is through Adelaide University as Touring Partner for The Dome, a 10-metre immersive cinema experience visiting Mount Gambier and Whyalla – home to two of the University's major regional campuses.
Mount Gambier will host a pre-Fringe season of The Dome at the Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre from 7 to 13 February. The experience will later travel to Whyalla, running from 27 March to 6 April at the Middleback Arts Centre. Both regions will host a free opening celebration to launch The Dome featuring food, drink and community activities with Mount Gambier’s on 7 February and Whyalla’s on 28 March.
Inside The Dome, audiences recline beneath a curved, ceiling-filling screen as 360-degree documentaries unfold through surround sound and immersive visuals. Its headline experience is a documentary on cuttlefish, filmed in Whyalla, ahead of its Fringe premiere.
As part of the partnership, Adelaide University will offer $5 subsidised tickets to Fringe shows in Mount Gambier and Whyalla - including The Dome - through using the promo codes ADELAIDEUNIMTG for Mount Gambier and ADELAIDEUNIWHY for Whyalla. This helps remove cost barriers and ensures regional audiences can access large-scale arts experiences close to home.
During Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide University’s future focussed museum of discovery, MOD., will also bring its 2026 exhibition BEGINNINGS to Whyalla on 20 March and Mount Gambier on 26 March.
Professor Craig Batty, Pro Vice Chancellor of the College of Creative Arts, Design & Humanities at Adelaide University, said the regional program demonstrates how the partnership enables access, technology and creativity to work together.
“Bringing The Dome to Mount Gambier and Whyalla, alongside low-cost ticket access, shows how the partnership supports the powerful intersection of creativity, technology and regional engagement,” Professor Batty said.
“These initiatives give regional audiences the chance to experience ambitious work close to home, while offering students and emerging artists opportunities in large-scale creative projects beyond the city of Adelaide.”
The partnership also creates pathways for students through internship opportunities, industry access and professional development, building on Adelaide Fringe’s strong track record of employing graduates from the University’s creative programs and fostering long-term careers in the arts.
This pipeline is reflected in the success of Adelaide University alum and South Australian artist Billie Justice Thomson, the winner of the 2026 Adelaide Fringe Poster Competition. Her artwork, Cockatoo Call, serves as the official visual identity of Adelaide Fringe 2026, appearing across South Australia and nationally.
“Adelaide Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere, built on access, opportunity and bold creative risk taking, and our partnership with Adelaide University strengthens that mission,” said Tara MacLeod, Adelaide Fringe Acting CEO.
“Together, we are helping more students and emerging artists gain real world industry experience, connect with audiences, and find their place in South Australia’s creative ecosystem. Just as importantly, this partnership is helping break down barriers so more people can access live arts and culture, in the city and across the regions, and be part of the magic of Fringe.”
Adelaide Fringe runs from 20 February to 22 March, with regional programming extending beyond the festival season.
The Dome touring dates:
· Mount Gambier: Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre, 7 to 13 February 2026 (promo code ADELAIDEUNIMTG)
· Whyalla: Middleback Arts Centre, 27 March to 6 April 2026 (promo code ADELAIDEUNIWHY)
MOD. BEGINNINGS exhibition regional touring dates:
· Whyalla Campus: 20 March 2026
· Mt Gambier Campus: 26 March 2026