BRISBANE COMEDY FESTIVAL: FULL 2024 PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
08 MAY 2024
Brisbane Comedy Festival 2024 unleashes the laughter with a stellar line-up of festival favourites and fresh faces taking the stage from Friday 26 April to Sunday 26 May.
Tickets are now on sale for more than 350 hilarious events with more than 130 comedians descending on Brisbane to raise the roof at iconic venues Brisbane Powerhouse, The Tivoli, The Princess Theatre and The Fortitude Music Hall.
Following its most successful year in 2023, Brisbane Comedy Festival returns with an even bigger and more diverse program than ever before.
Global headliners include British comedy master Stephen K Amos, Irish actor and comedian Ed Byrne, New Zealander Guy Montgomery, South African comic Schalk Bezuidenhout and festival favourite from the UK, Sh!t-faced Shakespeare. Scotland’s Fern Brady and Brit Adam Kay make their Brisbane and Festival debuts, alongside Tom Sainsbury, Adrian Bliss, Connor Burns.
Australia’s favourite comedic export Josh Thomas returns to Brisbane Comedy Festival for the first time since 2013, and Australia’s Crown Prince of comedy Joel Creasy steps back onto the festival circuit after four years gracing the airwaves of the country’s most popular drive radio show.
Bringing the laughs across alternative formats to stand-up are national entertainment icons Annabell Crabb, Judith Lucy and Kaz Cook, and Zan Rowe and Myf Warhurst, with storytelling and podcasts.
The diverse program continues with everything from theatre to film and music, including Murder Village, An Improvised Whodunnit which returns after a sell-out season in 2023, and from the razor-sharp pen of playwright provocateur David Finnigan comes apocalyptic rom-com theatre show 44 Sex Acts in One Week.
Brisbane Comedy Festival includes film for the first time, presenting some great Australian comedies at the Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema, and Queensland musician Eddie Ray presents Silence of the Jams with his Band of Legends bringing an epic and hilarious soundtrack to self-made independent film for one night only.
Rising stars and comedy favourites round out the laughs with Award-winning newcomer He Huang taking audiences on a hilarious global journey, Daniel Muggleton shares his bracing social commentary, and Felicity Ward returns to Brisbane as part of her first national tour in five years.
Claire Hooper hosts the much-loved Frocking Hilarious with Australia’s queens of comedy, Alexandra Hudson flips societal misconceptions about disability in Making Lemonade, and Logie Award-winning, former hairdresser Effie presents her masterclass in the art of Upyourselfness!
With razor-sharp wit and undeniable charmAre You Pulling My Leg? showcases some of Australia’s funniest and award-winning performers with a disability or chronic illness, and the Aboriginal Comedy Allstars present some of our best First Nations comedians to deliver their top-tier comedy and storytelling.
Brisbane Comedy Festival 2024 Festival Director Phoebe Meredith said this year’s program is a true celebration of what comedy has to offer as artists from all walks of life converge on Brisbane.
“Comedians are our commentators. They are observers of our world and pull out what they think is interesting, stretching our perception on a huge range of topics. There is something for everyone in this Festival,” Meredith said.
“Across one month, the festival features a stellar line-up of 30 international acts alongside local comedians. Mixing festival favourites with fresh faces, we guarantee audiences will leave with a spring in their step. With the average Festival ticket sitting at $35, it makes for a great and affordable night out.”
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said 2024 Brisbane Comedy Festival offers a dazzling array of shows that will attract crowds throughout the five-week event.
“The Brisbane Comedy Festival team works incredibly hard to ensure a program full of variety so there is something on offer for everyone,” Cr Schrinner said.
“We invite both visitors and locals to immerse themselves in the vibrant cultural landscape of our city, while embracing local and international acts across Brisbane’s most celebrated venues.”
Brisbane Powerhouse is the home of Brisbane Comedy Festival with six stages ranging from the intimate to the epic including the 690-seat Powerhouse Theatre, Underground Theatre, Fairfax Studio, Rooftop Terrace, Park Mezzanine and Graffiti Room, and the newly added Switch Room. By the river is their alfresco venue, Pleasuredome, which transforms into a luxe outdoor comedy venue.
The Fortitude Music Hall returns to host The Opening Gala, and The Tivoli returns as a Festival venue, with sister venue The Princess Theatre the newest addition to the mix.
Brisbane Comedy Festival runs Friday 26 April to Sunday 26 May at Brisbane Powerhouse, The Fortitude Music Hall, The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre.
Brisbane Comedy Festival is produced by Brisbane Powerhouse through the support of Brisbane City Council, and supported by B105, We Are Flip, goa, Ovolo Hotels, PixelFrame, Scenestr and Triple M.
Make the most of a month of comedy and big belly laughs by snapping up tickets and subscribing for program updates at brisbanecomedyfestival.com.
