What is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival?
Barry Humphries and Peter Cook launched the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 1987. It now ranks among the world's three largest comedy festivals, with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal's Just for Laughs: each autumn Melbourne Town Hall and the streets around it become its hub for stand-up, cabaret, theatre and street performance, and it calls itself Australia's largest ticketed cultural event.
The festival
Barry Humphries and Peter Cook launched the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 1987. It now ranks among the world's three largest comedy festivals, with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal's Just for Laughs: each autumn Melbourne Town Hall and the streets around it become its hub for stand-up, cabaret, theatre and street performance, and it calls itself Australia's largest ticketed cultural event.
Recent editions
- 2026
- 2025
Sources
More questions
- When is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2027?
- Where is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival held?
- How do I get from the airport to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival?
- What comedy festivals are in New York City?
Facts as of 16 October 2026. Festivals change their plans: confirm on the festival's own site before you book. Every question