Comedians, start your engines – registration time is here again!
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival has opened registrations for its 2026 program, marking a massive milestone year. It will celebrate four decades of laughter when it returns from 25 March to 19 April next year. This 40th anniversary edition promises to deliver everything that’s made the festival an international comedy powerhouse – from intimate pub gigs to theatre spectaculars, emerging local talent to global superstars.
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
- 25 March to 19 April 2026
- Registration information at comedyfestival.com.au
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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Since launching in 1987, the festival has grown from a modest local event into one of the three largest comedy festivals on the planet, alongside Edinburgh and Montreal. Each year, it transforms Melbourne into comedy central, with hundreds of shows popping up in venues across the city – from tiny backstage bars to the grandest theatres in town. The 2025 festival alone featured more than 600 shows and attracted over 800,000 punters, cementing its status as one of Australia’s most beloved cultural events.
Beyond the main festival, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival runs several development programs throughout the year. RAW Comedy continues to unearth fresh stand-up talent, Deadly Funny showcases First Nations comedians, and Class Clowns brings comedy workshops to schools nationwide. The festival’s touring Roadshow also takes a selection of acts to regional centres across Australia and internationally, spreading the laughs far beyond Melbourne’s borders.
The anniversary celebrations are expected to feature special retrospective events alongside the usual mix of stand-up, sketch, cabaret, musical comedy and experimental performances that make the festival such a diverse comedy playground.
For more information, head here
