At an age when many performers are looking back on their achievements, Dingo is heading in a new direction.
In March, the beloved entertainer will make his Adelaide Fringe debut with the world premiere of Chasing Horizons, a live production that combines storytelling, music, acting and visual art. Presented at Gluttony’s Flamingo venue during the opening weekend of the 2027 festival, the show marks the first time Dingo has created a performance of this kind.
For audiences, it offers an opportunity to experience a different side of a man whose career has spanned film, television, travel and the arts. Over the course of an hour, Dingo will paint live on stage while sharing stories from a life that has taken him across Australia and around the world.
“I have always wanted to perform at Adelaide Fringe and in creating this show, I felt Fringe was the perfect fit,” Dingo said when the production was announced.
For more than five decades, Ernie Dingo has been a familiar face in Australian life. Actor, television presenter, comedian, singer, storyteller and cultural ambassador, he has built a career that few can match for its breadth or longevity.
The format reflects a creative practice that extends beyond the screen. While many Australians know Dingo through programs such as The Great Outdoors or from acclaimed film roles including The Fringe Dwellers and Bran Nue Dae, fewer are aware of his work as a visual artist.
That aspect of his life will also be showcased through Ernie Dingo: Chasing Horizons the Exhibition, a companion exhibition at Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute. Featuring 20 artworks, the exhibition explores themes that have shaped Dingo’s life and work, including travel, Aboriginal culture, connection to Country and the people he has encountered along the way.
Producer-director Anita Baltutis describes the paintings as an extension of Dingo’s storytelling.
“Painting becomes a way to express his travels, Aboriginal culture, and his enduring connection to people, country, and horizons that have shaped his life,” she said.
The exhibition continues a growing partnership between Adelaide Fringe and Tandanya, highlighting First Nations artists and stories within the festival program.
For Adelaide Fringe, securing Dingo’s first Fringe appearance is a significant coup. Fringe CEO Marc Carnes said the production reflects the increasing number of established artists choosing Adelaide as the place to launch ambitious new work.
For audiences, however, the appeal is simpler. After half a century in the public eye, Ernie Dingo remains one of Australia’s most recognisable and respected performers. Chasing Horizons promises something rare: the chance to see a familiar figure reveal a lesser-known part of himself through story, song and art.
Sometimes the most interesting chapters arrive later in the journey.
Tickets for Ernie Dingo: Chasing Horizons are on sale now through Adelaide Fringe.
adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/ernie-dingo-chasing-horizons-af2027
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