From high-flying acrobats, to comedy food feasts, funky tunes and the downright freaky, it's that time of year again - the Sydney Fringe is coming to town.
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The state's largest independent arts festival is returning to the harbour city with more than 400 events and shows spread from Parramatta in the city's west through to the CBD.
The festival will kick off with the Fringe Ignite street party and for western Sydney band The Great West and artist MUNGMUNG, it will be their first time performing at the event.
Malaysian-born and Sydney-based MUNGMUNG said it was a wonderful opportunity to break out in the Sydney arts scene.
"The startup can be a little bit uncertain and shaky at times so when given opportunities like this, it's just awesome to put my work out there," she told AAP.
For The Great West, the opportunity to showcase their experiences living in western Sydney and their Filipino heritage is bigger than any other they have done.
"It's a meshing of our Western Sydney upbringing as well as being Filipino immigrants and the stories that we get from our parents and our transitioning and journey into our identity," band vocalist and guitarist Josiah Guanzon told AAP.
"Sydney is an ever-changing sphere of different cultures and just being able to convey what we feel and our experience is really important," vocalist Alex Norris said.
For MUNGMUNG, showcasing the diversity that reflects her own experiences is "super dope".
"There's always a whole bunch of different people from a bunch of diverse cultures. To be given a voice like this is a second to none moment," she said.
With countless shows to choose from including cabaret performances, dance shows, comedy feasts and circus tricks, festival director Kerri Glasscock urged Sydney-siders to take a chance and see something new.
"It's definitely fun but also it's a bit weird. There's lots of really crazy and funny ideas this year," she told AAP.
The Fringe highlights local stories and supports local artists with more than 80 per cent of this year's performers NSW residents, Ms Glasscock said.
"It's a really important platform for them to reach big audiences, new audiences and to have a profile that they can't have on their own," she said.
In her 10th year as director, Ms Glasscock said the festival had gone strength to strength but there was still more to do.
"We're on an upward trajectory and we've got big ambitions. What we really want to do is give Adelaide Fringe a run for their money," she said.
The festival runs throughout September.
Australian Associated Press
