Big laughs, bold voices and a massive month of comedy!

13 NOV 2025

Australia’s XL month of LOLs is back! Brisbane Comedy Festival returns from 24 April – 24 May 2026, taking over Brisbane Powerhouse, The Fortitude Music Hall, The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre for a city-wide celebration of comedy and all things that tickle the funny bone.

Established in 2009, Brisbane Comedy Festival celebrates its 17th year in 2026. Following a record-breaking 2025 season that drew more than 90,000+ attendees across 420+ performances, the 2026 festival promises to be its biggest yet, packed with international stars, local legends and fresh talent who are ready to serve real, unadulterated and raucous rolling-on-the-floor moments right across the event.

The 2026 edition will kick off with the ever-popular Brisbane Comedy Festival Opening Gala at The Fortitude Music Hall on Friday 24 April, a special one-night-only showcase of big punchlines and even bigger personalities from across the program. This delectable appetiser of shows from across the festival always sells out, so you’ll need to get in early!

Brisbane Comedy Festival’s first lineup drop for 2026 brings together a mix of festival favourites and new names. Prepare for a full abdominal workout with….

DENISE SCOTT, MELANIE BRACEWELL, THE UMBILICAL BROTHERS, CONNOR BURNS, DAVE HUGHES, ANISA NANDUALA, GEORGIE CARROLL, SCHALK BEZUIDENHOUT, RAY O’LEARY, TOM CASHMAN, MARTY SHEARGOLD, SH!T-FACED SHAKESPEARE, BRON LEWIS, GUY WILLIAMS, CHRIS PARKER, JOANNE MCNALLY, COLIN MOCHRIE (HYPROV: COMEDY UNDER HYPNOSIS), JACK ANSETT + more to come.

Denise Scott, an older woman with short light brown hair, smiles while looking off-camera. She wears a burgundy blouse and a dark velvet jacket with floral embroidery, standing against a pink background with her arms gently crossed.

Three actors in Renaissance costumes pose dramatically; the front holds a cartoonish skull and bottle, the middle looks intense, and the back stands serious. The background is a textured, abstract mix of blue and green.

A woman with natural curly hair, wearing glasses and a yellow sleeveless outfit, smiles widely while holding a microphone, standing in front of a blue wavy background.

After more than a decade away from solo performance, beloved Aussie icon Denise Scott makes a triumphant return to the stage with her new solo show Tickety Boo, blending her observational humour with her most personal work yet. One of the most celebrated voices in comedy Melanie Bracewell has been Dilly Dallying and delivers her trademark chaos in a brand-new hour about procrastination.

Scottish breakout Connor Burns returns with his quick-witted new show Gallus, promising to be equal parts sharp and lightning fast. There’s no one quite like Dave Hughes, who returns with brutally honest new show Cooked.

Brisbane favourite Anisa Nandaula dives headfirst, no filter required, into No Small Talk and nurse-turned-comedian Georgie Carroll’s regales healthcare absurdities in Infectious. Sh!t-faced Shakespeare: Hamlet promises all-out affair with a hilarious, drunk actor each night – because what could possibly go right?

South Africa’s Schalk Bezuidenhout lays it all bare in the tell-all Hey Hey Divorcé, Ray O’Leary returns with his signature mix of absurdity and nervous brilliance in I Can See O’Leary Now the Ray Has Gone and Tom Cashman brings his particular brand of wit to NPC (Nearly Proficient Comedian).

This is just the first taste of what’s ahead! The full 2026 program, dropping in March, will unveil an embarrassment of international debuts, homegrown heroes, late-night takeovers and all-ages shows.

From special one-off shows and comedy especially for kids to free outdoor events, Brisbane Comedy Festival 2026 will bring one huge month of belly laughs to venues across the city, and that unique communal joy that only comedy can deliver.

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