The funniest time of the year is nearly back upon us, you guessed it, The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is once again gracing the city with its slew of wisecracking, sarcastic, irreverent, and just plain wild comedians from all over the globe.
Kicking off on Wednesday 29 March and running until Sunday 23 April this year’s annual laugh congregation features hundreds of different shows taking place all over Melbourne from grand theatres to local community halls.
The staple festival events like The Gala, the Opening Night Comedy Allstars Supershow, The Great Debate are all back on the cards with the addition of newer favourites like The Neighbourhood Sessions which bring an assortment of comics to suburbs all across Melbourne with live shows taking place in Footscray, Moorabbin, Broadmeadows, Narre Warren, Williamstown, Rosebud and more.
Deadly Funny is also making a return championing Indigenous comedians, the national comedy competition showcases Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and invites them to develop and perform five minutes of material.
Laugh for good with the fundraiser event, Light The Way Home, which launched back in 2019 and is centred around raising female, non-binary and other vulnerable performers with a safe way environment to perform—all proceeds go towards supporting the community.
The solo comic show lineup has an absolute tonne of homegrown talent gracing the stage, for a night of friendship-fuelled laughs tap into Besties with Lucinda Price (AKA Froomes) and Louis Hanson, Geraldine Hickey's, Of Course, We've Got Horses, Lano and Woodley's take on Moby Dick and Scout Boxall's Turbo Lover.
On the international front, you've got the likes of charming Carl Donnelley, Off Menu host Ed Gamble, rising star Lara Ricote, Irish powerhouse Joanne McNally and much much more.
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is running from Wednesday 29 March until Sunday 23 April, head over here for the full program and to book tickets.
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Image credit: Melbourne International Comedy Festival (supplied)