Our Top Picks For The Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026

12th Mar 2026

Written by: Donna Demaio

Thousands of comics are descending on our city for the 40^th Melbourne International Comedy Festival with one main aim – to leave us in stitches.

Running from March 25 to April 19, this year’s program has almost 800 shows, making it the largest comedy fest in the world.

There’s a swathe of internationals coming in for a laugh and a multitude of local talent destined to illicit a chuckle, so we’ve put together a guide to get you going.

Con Coutis

Melbourne Town Hall, Paul’s Place, 90–130 Swanston Street, Melbourne

You may have spotted Coutis on television repping Gen Z on Channel Ten’s Talkin’ Bout Your Generation.

His new show, Joke Protocol is an homage to 80’s movies, where Coutis plays a secret agent searching for the world’s best jokes.

The super clever comedy show, filled with tech trickery, feels a bit like being inside a silly spy movie. Get your tickets here.

Prashasti Singh

The Westin, 205 Collins Street, Melbourne

Performing in English and one-off a Hindi show, Singh is making her MICF debut with Divine Feminine—a stand-up hour where she questions all her life choices.

She’s inching towards 40 but pretending to be 30, is a bit of a rebel, and is highly relatable. Singh’s show was a smash hit at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Get your tickets here.

Jenny Tian

Melbourne Town Hall, Lower Hall, 90- 130 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Born in Finland to Chinese parents, Sydney-sider Tian has a come up with a new hour—When Life Gives You Oranges—about a relationship that almost was.

It was just a few years ago, after seeing Ronny Chieng do a spiel at her Uni, that Tian was inspired to try stand-up. Now, the sharp observationist has been on Taskmaster Australia and is making waves on both TikTok and YouTube. Get your tickets here.

Melanie Bracewell

Max Watt’s, 125 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Hailing from Auckland, Melanie Bracewell has become an honourary Aussie after years of cracking us up on TV and on stage.

The Cheap Seats host is bringing a brand-new hour on procrastination called Dilly Dallying (we're big fans of the title)—a highly relatable topic from a phenomenal, super-witty storyteller.

We just hope she finishes writing it in time. Get your tickets here.

David O'Doherty

Melbourne Town Hall, 90–130 Swanston Stret, Melbourne

Irish musical comedian David O’Doherty loves a trip to Melbourne. So much so, he’s here for his 18^th MICF stint with Highway to the David Zone.

In addition to jokes aplenty, the show includes fun musical ditties—all from a bloke known to go off on a tangent or two.

His podcast What Did You Do Yesterday?, which he co-hosts with Max Rushden, also has a live Melbourne recording on 3 April. Get your tickets here.

Steph Tisdell

Victoria Hotel Boardroom, 215 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

Steph Tisdell’s show is FAT, a side-splitting, honest and at times uncomfortable exploration of the absurdities surrounding body image.

Tisdell is searching for her true self, so plenty of self-reflection and hilarity is promised along the way.

Also a writer for top Aussie TV shows like Fisk, Bump and Rosehaven, Tisdell is a master storyteller. Get your tickets here.

Mark Watson

Supper Room, Melbourne Town Hall, 90–130 Swanston Street, Melbourne

It’s time for retrospection for British comic Mark Watson, as he notches two decades at MICF.

Watson is dynamite onstage, planning to revisit the many, many career highlights in his show 20 Years of Doing My Absolute Bloody Best. Get your tickets here.

Chris Demos and Carmelo Costa

The Victoria Hotel Boardroom, 215 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

Brace yourself for the unhinged Gayme Show hosted by Chris Demos and Carmelo Costa.

Described as "part comedy, part variety, all mess", this literal game show is set to host special guests, chaotic challenges, loose rules and prizes you probably don’t want to win. Get your tickets here.

Will Gibb

Portrait Room, Melbourne Town Hall, 90–120 Swanston Street, CBD

Can you be too confident? Will Gibb might just have the answers in Confidence is Key–a show where he dives into his own personal experiences with hilarious storytelling, impressions and audience interaction.

Silly and high energy, Gibb dabbled in improvising from the age of 12 and went full comedian aged 17. His passion for satire and absurdity is paying off on TikTok too, where he's built a 1.7 million-strong following. Get your tickets here.

The Listies

Melbourne Museum Theatre, 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton

You don’t get much more ridiculous than The Listies, AKA Richard Higgins and Matthew Kelly, who’ve been performing together for 18 years.

The Listies Make You LOL—Again is family fun show that purposefully goes off the rails. Rated S for Silly, prepare for alien attacks, toilet paper guns and green spew. Highly unruly and immature in all the best ways. Get your tickets here.

Matt Bell

Walking tour through the city, Melbourne.

The Ex Files: A Comedy True Crime Tour is a story about the guy who ghosted comedian Matt Bell after four months.

On the 1.5km walking tour, he revisits six city locations, including a tiki bar and a tarot reading spot, all the while reflecting on the doomed relationship.

Does he figure out the mystery of why he was ghosted? You'll have to see the show to find out. Get your tickets here.

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Image credit: Melbourne International Comedy Festival (supplied)