Strut & Fret, the organising company behind the fortnight-long festival, confirmed they were bringing a star-studded line-up to Civic Park, and they’ve certainly delivered.

Headlining this season will be BLANC de BLANC, a cabaret and acrobatic talent show crafted from the creators of Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour.

The theatre/circus/aerial show is just one of the many offerings Spiegeltent will have in their 2018 spectacle, as Kate Miller-Heidke, multi-ARIA award winning The Black Sorrows and comedians Tom Gleeson and Luke McGregor join the show.

It’s a return that’s long been on the cards, according to Strut & Fret director Scott Maidment, who believes the Fortuna Spiegeltent will offer up one of its best showings in 2018.

“We can’t wait to bring the Spiegeltent back to Newcastle after a successful season with Velvet last year,” Maidment said.

The event, set to begin on Tuesday March 27 and conclude on Sunday April 15, returns to town after tours in the state capital and overseas.

“We’re especially excited for Newcastle audiences to see Blanc de Blanc, which finally comes to [town] after selling out at the Sydney Opera House and London’s West End,” Maidment said.

The Strut & Fret director, who also founded the BLANC de BLANC performance, believes the history of the travelling entertainment format will be a hit once more with Novocastrian crowds.

It’s certainly set to be a grand time, the organisers have promised, even if just to see the ‘mirror tent’.

The exquisite Fortuna Spiegeltent is an extravagant big top tent decorated with mirrors, stained glass, velvet and brocade.

The tent itself also comes from Belgium where it was made by a family who has been making the magnificent creations for more than a century.

The productions hark back to spiegeltent’s history in 19th and 20th century Belgium. The large travelling tents, decorated with mirrors and stained glass, would travel from town to town.

Tickets are on sale now via spiegeltentnewcastle.com.