The Fringe

So in my last post I talked about the Fringe Festival starting here in Adelaide and how I was to go to the opening ceremony (with a parade and concerts) despite the fact that it was raining a ton. Jon had planned it as a young adult Church event so there was no way we could really not go. But the rain never let up an it made the whole evening quite the wet experience. Moreover, the amount of rain Adelaide got that day was somewhat record setting. They were not prepared for such weather at the festivities and so they ended up canceling the parade and many of the shows. This was alright though, as the energy and vibrancy of the night was still well intact. People were buzzing everywhere, costumes, street performers, you name it. We spent a fair bit of time walking around the Fringe festival grounds--referred to as "The Garden of Unearthly Delights" and I had a really good time soaking it all in.

As promised, a quick word about the Fringe (which, to be honest, I still don't quite understand). The Fringe festival takes place in several locations throughout the world and is marketed as a festival showcasing the "fringes" of society. As such, most things involved with the fringe are a little bit risque, scandalous, edgy, colorful, etc. It is not as bad as...say...Carnival in South America, but the spirit of the event is similar. It is a celebration of life, in all its artsy, beautiful, (hedonistic?), glory. The Fringe festivals have thousands of acts--cabaret, comedy, theater, music, visual art, circus acts, etc. It is massive and scale and a little hard to grasp, to be honest.

The Adelaide Fringe lasts runs almost a whole month--from the 18th February to the 13th of March. Besides the acts associated with the Fringe, there are many other side festivals related to the Fringe but which are massive events in and of themselves. For example, the Food and Wine Festival and Womadelaide (a weekend long celebration of world music). The city is a bustle of excitement. Every day of the month there are many shows to attend and they take place all over the city (not just in the main gardens). It has also attracted some weird people here. The flamboyant, colorful dress certainly has no end. Nor do the cross-dressers and the like. As I said, this is a celebration of living life on the Fringe.

That said, the Fringe isn't all bad. You shouldn't think of it as jut a bunch of half-naked people and truly depraved entertainment. Thought that exists, there are many fine acts as well. The festival celebrates the arts and with thousands of acts, there are plenty of great musicians, shows, and comedians to choose from. Jon, Katie, and I are hoping to attend several of the events (as much as I can justify paying for actually--thought they are all fairly cheap). It will be fun and I am sure I will let you know what happens there. But now...perhaps...you understand the Fringe as well as I do.

But back to my life: After we stood in the rain for awhile, the students got sort of bored, wet, and miserable. Though i was having a blast laughing at the outrageous outfits, we decided to head back to Jon and Katie's and have a game night instead. We played Apples to Apples and Catch Phrase. Let me tell you something, it is hard to play Apples to Apples (an American game) with Australians. I never stopped to think about how much the game is tailored to an American audience! There were dozens of cards they literally had NO idea who/what it was. Thus, something I thought was funny usually got passed over rather quickly in favor of something they might no better. I still had fun, but it was a good cultural lesson. Little things I take for granted in America are not so in Australia.

But I made some great bridges with the students and feel like they enjoyed having me around. This was a good first step.

In Christ,

Chris