About the Festival - Australian Burlesque Festival

The Australian Burlesque Festival was established in late 2009 which was born out of a passion and desire to celebrate our wonderful burlesque community.

ABF debuted in early 2010 to sold out audiences with the festival flourishing and continuing to experience hugely popular and sold out shows across the country. Each year gets bigger and better with more lavish, exciting and fun events.

Australian burlesque is internationally renown for its unique flavour of theatrical, glamorous and avant-garde burlesque and outrageously talented performers. The Australian Burlesque Festival brings together the best of our homegrown artists as well as international burlesque icons!

The past number years have seen burlesque aficionados and first timers alike delighting in the stunning array of sensational tease with more glamorous strip-tease, exciting neo-burlesque and exotic seduction than they can handle!

The Australian Burlesque Festival is a unique community based experience uniting burlesque artists all over the country and the globe in a tour of sizzling showcases, workshops and industry awards. The festival celebrates diversity, variety and talent from all over the world.

Cherry Daiquiri Productions is a (R) entity under ASIC.

Festival Co Director - Dolores Daiquiri She/Her

Purpose Statement

The Australian Burlesque Festival is a very unique community based event that celebrates modern burlesque. It prides itself on providing a platform to local and international artists to present their style of ‘art’.

The core values of ABF is to provide a safe space that champions and celebrates BIPOC, the LGBTQIA+ community, minority groups and anyone who participates in the festival.

Our goal is to make sure all cultures, races and genders are treated with respect, tolerance and equality. The festival does not tolerate culturally insensitive or appropriative material at any time. ABF will ensure that the values and ethos of the event will be respected and adhered to.

ABF is a body positive, feminist event with its aim to empower every performer. We respect our patrons, artists, crew and all involved in this collaborative celebration.

ABF will continue to maintain a high standard of quality events that does not exclude anyone based on disability, ethnicity, age, body shape & size, skin colour, and identity.

We honour our Indigenous Peoples. #blacklivesmatter #indigeneouslivesmatter

We stand alongside BIPOC and will honour and respect the fight for equality, fairness, equal rights and the dismantling of injustice.

**Championing BIPOC and LGBTQIA+**

The Australian Burlesque Festival will ensure its lineups are representative of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.
We will support and include you.
We will uplift you & amplify you.
We will create a platform that is inclusive, respectful and diverse.

National Tour

Come and see some of the best in the biz! Local and international performers hit the stage. Over 10 amazing shows across the country.

Outstanding Production

The world’s largest touring burlesque festival. Celebrating burlesque since 2009. Providing quality shows for artists and patrons.

Quality Entertainment

Be amazed! Be captivated! Be delighted! No two shows are the same. Variety, diversity, quality! Enjoy the talent and creativity.

What Is Burlesque?

Burlesque is a captivating stage show that was popularised in the 1800s, and has evolved over time to be the luxurious, quirky, sparkly and theatrical form of entertainment it is today.
At its core and origin, burlesque means to mock or parody. Clubs and vaudeville theatres in the 1800s right through to the1940s often had raunchy variety shows where performers would parody political personalities and stereotypical characters. In the ‘Golden Era’ of burlesque (the 1930s-1960s) women in stunning costumes and beautiful props would elegantly use ‘striptease’ as their mode of entertainment. A great deal of what people know today about burlesque stems from this Golden Era. You might have heard the names‘Tempest Storm’, ‘Lily St Cyr’ or ‘Dixie Evans’-these women completely embodied and exuded the very essence of ‘striptease’.
Neo-burlesque came along in the 1990’s across the globe as a new movement in the art form.It generally involved ‘striptease’, however it also included so many other elements such as:slapstick comedy, circus, cabaret, queer performance art, political satire, boylesque, social commentary and so much more.

Burlesque is a sexy and seductive pantomime for grown ups.
Burlesque is the combination of various creative elements sewn together with titillating tease.
Burlesque is empowering and inspiring.
Burlesque is a great night out.

Australian Burlesque Festival