Overview
If you’re in Melbourne this autumn, you’re in for a laugh, with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival taking over the city and beyond from late March with its laugh riot of stand-up comedy, cabaret and street performance.
Since starting in 1987, it’s now one of the biggest comedy festivals in the world (alongside the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival), attracting literally thousands of comedians who you can see in grand theatres, local pubs, cabaret clubs and tiny bars. Catch major national and international acts, along with up-and-comers that just might go on to be the Next Big Thing. Comedians like Rhys Nicholson, The Mighty Boosh, James Acaster, Geraldine Hickey and Hannah Gadsby have all taken home awards for the Most Outstanding Show.
Get into the spirit and join the jubilant queues around the Melbourne Town Hall precinct (the unofficial Comedy Festival Central). Pick up tickets to the flagship Comedy Gala or grab a flyer from one of the 3,500 comedians touting their latest show. Heading to the Festival Club at Max Watt’s after a show is a local tradition - make sure you indulge.
The Festival is Australia’s biggest ticketed event, selling around 770,000 seats each year, so come along and see Melbourne in all its side-splitting glory.
