'The Sumo Show HIRAKUZA' Wins 'Pick of The Week' at Overseas Performance 'Adelaide Fringe', Attracting Over 10,000 People and Earning Numerous 5-Star Ratings!

'HIRAKUZA', an entertainment brand developed by Hanshin Contents Link Corporation (Headquarters: Fukushima-ku, Osaka; President: Susumu Shimizu), participated for the first time in 'Adelaide Fringe', the largest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere held in Adelaide, Australia. They performed 'The Sumo Show HIRAKUZA' overseas from Friday, February 13 to Sunday, March 22, 2026. Across 33 performances, they mobilized over 10,000 attendees and won the weekly award 'Pick of The Week'. Furthermore, the run ended as a massive success, receiving numerous 5-star ratings from local media.

■ 'Adelaide Fringe 2026', an International Arts Festival with Over 1,500 Performances

Held in Adelaide, South Australia, 'Adelaide Fringe' is the largest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere, gathering a wide range of genres from around the world. It is an international stage where numerous artists and audiences participate every year.

The 2026 event was held from Friday, February 20 to Sunday, March 22, featuring more than 1,500 performances across over 500 venues, making it a more diverse and larger-scale festival than usual. In recent years, along with the quality of the productions, there has been an increased emphasis on the 'uniqueness that can only be experienced here' rooted in cultural backgrounds, and the experiential value that audiences can intuitively enjoy.

Participating for the first time, 'The Sumo Show HIRAKUZA' was highly evaluated as an entertainment piece that a wide audience could enjoy across language and cultural barriers, adding to the power and extraordinary nature of Japan's unique subject of Sumo. This led to mobilizing over 10,000 attendees, winning an award, and securing high praise from local media.

* 'Pick of The Week'... A category of the 'Weekly Award' announced every week during the festival. It is an award given to the highly acclaimed 'featured production of the week' selected from the many works performed that week.

■ High Praise from Local Media and Audiences

'The Sumo Show HIRAKUZA' not only earned numerous 5-star reviews from local media but also received high praise from the attendees.

This achievement proves that the expression of this performance, which allows audiences to experience both 'learning' and 'entertainment' based on traditional Japanese culture, was widely accepted by overseas audiences and media on the international stage of 'Adelaide Fringe'. With high evaluations and strong attendance, it showed the potential of Japan-originated entertainment abroad. Moving forward, utilizing the results and knowledge gained from these performances, we will actively broadcast the charm of Japanese culture to more people with our sights set on further overseas expansion.

■ About 'The Sumo Show HIRAKUZA'

'The Sumo Show HIRAKUZA' is an interactive entertainment show that has restructured Japan's traditional culture, Sumo, so that overseas audiences can easily understand and enjoy it. While explaining the movements and rules of Sumo in an accessible way, it simultaneously provides learning and fun through powerful matches and audience-participation productions. In permanent domestic venues—'THE SUMO HALL HIRAKUZA OSAKA' in Namba, Osaka (opened May 2024), and 'THE SUMO LIVE RESTAURANT HIRAKUZA GINZA TOKYO' in Ginza, Tokyo (opened January 2026)—we have entertained approximately 84,000 guests from over 120 countries and regions so far, earning high praise, particularly from inbound tourists.

Under the brand concept of 'broadcasting a new way to enjoy Japanese culture to the world,' our brand will continue to create opportunities to experience traditional Japanese culture, including Sumo, and actively promote the charm of Japanese culture domestically and internationally.

■ 'The Sumo Show HIRAKUZA' Data

Performance Overview
Performance Name: The Sumo Show HIRAKUZA
Performance Period:
Friday, February 13 - Sunday, March 22, 2026
* The period includes pre-events (Closed on Mondays)
Number of Performances: 33 in total
Venue: The Roundhouse at The Garden of Unearthly Delights

Results
Actual tickets sold: 10,047 (excluding invitations, etc.)
Award: The Weekly Awa