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Anytime Anywhere
  • The Town Hall at night with Melbourne International Comedy Festival banners, signage, and red and blue spotlights and people lined up in queues on the footpath.
  • View from the rear of a stage of a comedian under a single spotlight, performing to a seated theatre audience.
  • View from the audience of a solo comedian performing on a large stage with a simple stencil graphic of Melbourne city as the backdrop.
  • A large group of smiling people sitting on the central marble staircase at the Melbourne Town Hall.
25 Mar – 19 Apr

Melbourne International Comedy Festival

  • Festival
  • Comedy

Melbourne International Comedy Festival is back and in 2026 they're celebrating 40 years of funny. Get ready for a star-studded month of longtime festival faves, rising stars, international icons, family fun and non-stop celebration. They're taking the party across Melbourne, and everyone is invited.

Even though it’s their big birthday, they’ve got gifts aplenty for you. Take your pick from hundreds of shows, popping up everywhere from the backstage bars to the biggest stages in town. Whether you want to treat yourself to a post-work giggle, take a chance on someone new, fill the school holidays with laughter for the kids, or party through the night at the Festival Club, there are so many ways to join in on the fun.

It’s their party and they'll laugh if they want to. Browse the program and book now!

Hours

No upcoming dates

Location

Melbourne Town Hall
90/130 Swanston St
Melbourne 3000

Open in maps location for Melbourne Town Hall

Price and bookings

From free to $150

Book online for Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Contact details

  • telephone number: 03 9245 3788
  • email address: customerservice@comedyfestival.com.au
  • Visit website for Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Facebook page for Melbourne International Comedy Festival Instagram page for Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Accessibility

  • Accessible toilets
  • Assisted listening
  • Auslan interpreted
  • Companion card accepted
  • Mobility access
  • Quiet spaces
  • Relaxed/low sensory
  • Service animals

All accessibility information is self-reported by the listing owner. It has not been verified by the City of Melbourne.

Part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

A stand-up comedian talking into a microphone they hold in their hand, performing live on stage.
Until 30 May

Main Stage: Festival Showcase

Have a laugh with stand-up comedy from Australia's best comedians, plus international drop-ins.

  • Comedy
  • Entertainment

Only In The City

Only in this City of Ours
People milling around Fed Square at night.

Melbourne's essential night-time events

From hidden laneway markets to epic pop-ups, Melbourne gets lit once the lights go out.

  • Comedy
  • Theatre
Three people striding into the Regent Theatre tiled entry with lights and city street in the background.

Regent Theatre

This landmark theatre is one of Melbourne’s premier live performance venues.

  • Heritage listed
  • Theatre
A family of four standing in a grand library with antique desks, large white walls and a dome ceiling.

Things you can only do in the city

There's only one place to find these rare Melbourne experiences and secret spots.

  • Tour
  • Entertainment

Discover more

A white line drawing on a black background of a smiling, bald man with his hands raised to his head, with objects including an infinity symbol, a Rubik's cube, a cassette tape, an open book, and a flip phone hovering around him.
7 – 11 Jul

Influential

An intimate evening of magic and mentalism for the Melbourne Magic Festival.

  • Comedy
  • Theatre
Flinders Street Station lit up in blue at dusk during Melbourne's RISING festival, with city buildings in the background.
27 May – 8 Jun

RISING: Melbourne

A festival of new art, music and performance in the heart of Naarm/Melbourne each winter.

  • Festival
  • Theatre
A train station lit up in rainbow lights

Melbourne's best drag shows and queer-friendly venues

Find burlesque life drawing, cabaret and the best queer-friendly venues in Melbourne.

  • Comedy
  • Theatre
A person in a pink suit with a large headdress and heavy make-up, smiling and holding a microphone.
15 Nov

Opera Up Late with Reuben Kaye

A wild ride through the world of opera with a decidedly queer lens.

  • Comedy
  • Theatre
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Australian Aboriginal Flag Torres Strait Islander Flag

The City of Melbourne respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land we govern, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin and pays respect to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge and honour the unbroken spiritual, cultural and political connection they have maintained to this unique place for more than 2000 generations.

We accept the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and are committed to walking together to build a better future. For more information, visit Aboriginal Melbourne.

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