A touch of OMG _{by Madelaine Empson}

Hitch up your fishnets and fasten your corsets: The Great DIY BurlesKiwi is back! On Saturday the 7^th of June, The Fringe Bar will shimmer, sparkle, and shine as 17 performers battle it out to prove that you don’t need a million bucks to look like it.

With just a $100 budget, a pair of shoes, and a dash of Kiwi ingenuity, contestants are tasked with bringing a fabulous burlesque act to the stage. This year, some of the costumes have been made using paint, cardboard, and a quick prayer, while another competitor has used a whole pile of second-hand jeans! See if 2024’s Most Sustainable winner, Christchurch’s Raven Bedlam, can push the envelope out even further and spend less still. More highlights will include special performances by 2024 winner Isla Banks, 2025 guest judge Fanny McBangers from Auckland, and an entry from 2024’s guest judge Diamante Doll, who was so inspired last year, she is returning as a contestant!

Co-producer Debbie Eve – aka Mz Twinkle, one half of production team The Pinot Sisters with Constance Craving – loves watching the creativity and out-the-box thinking from the contestants, adding that it’s such a joy to see them then take their DIY acts to bigger stages. Year on year, there are always surprises – or, as she says, “so many weird things have hit the stage”!

“The Goddess of Goon act with a tap on the underwear that when turned on ran red wine into a bath”, she supplies with a twinkle in her eye. “Or the time an awesome amount of ‘hair’ was pulled out of a shower drain.”

Whether you’re a performer fizzing with adrenaline backstage or an audience member cheering along from your seat, Debbie says the “atmosphere at the show is always excitement mixed with joy with a touch of OMG thrown in”.