The annual Sydney Fringe festival, showcasing the city’s best alternative art and culture, begins today, with around 300 events on offer around the harbour city.

Yesterday’s opening of the Sydney Underground Film Festival at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville is just one of the festival’s major programs, which also takes in theatre, music, comedy and other arts events.

Highlights include Circaholics Annonymous outside the Forum Piazza in Leichhardt, where performers will combine circus-like theatrics with fire twirling to create a spectacular display. The Italian Forum will also host a visual arts display which is free for visitors each night of the festival.

Circaholics Anonymous (Image: artsHub)

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday nights come alive at the Seymour Centre near Sydney University, where the Garden Bar hosts free live music, comedy and cabaret shows, along with visual art installations.

This year’s festival is the fourth outing of the annual Sydney Fringe, but The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the event is suffering from a lack of state government support.

The SMH reports that the 2013 Sydney Fringe was officially opened by Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore on Wednesday night, but the events program kicks off today and runs until the 29th September. For more information, or for booking to ticketed events, go to the Sydney Fringe webpage.