Sydney Comedy Festival bursts onto the scene every April and May and is the biggest comedy event in the city. It always features big international acts, homegrown talent, and up- and- coming new faces fresh to the scene. It follows Melbourne International Comedy Festival and for a lot of the acts it is an integral part of a tour around Australia that carries on to Newcastle, Brisbane, Perth and beyond.
Jorge Menidis from Century Entertainment has been the Director of the Festival since 2005, and under his watchful eye and decades of experience in the comedy scene, from the Carnivale Multicultural Arts Festival, the Perth Comedy Festival, and the Antipodes Festival amongst others, the festival has grown to be a significant event in the cultural scene of Sydney.
This year’s festival wrapped up after more than 750 artists played more that 315 shows at multiple venues across the city. There were 3 Award Winners, each of whom took home a gorgeous trophy and $1500!
First up, Best of the Fest Award went to Lou Wall for The Bisexual’s Lament. The show, which was directed by Zoe Coombs Marr was a masterclass in storytelling, joke-telling and power point delivery which ran through a compelling list of things that made the artist laugh.
This year the Best Newcomer Award went to the fantastic New Zealand comic David Correos, who’s show I Can’t Stop Vibrating saw a mix of physical theatrics, jokes and stories from his life.
The Director’s Choice Award went to Elouise Eftos for her show Australia’s First Attractive Comedian, which is a raucous romp through the life of a quadruple threat, tackling outdated feminism and disgusting men through stand-up, extensive dance training, a trained singing voice and professional acting.
Irresistible saw several shows in the Festival and our reviews of the artists we saw can be found here.
Many acts from the festival are having Encore events through June and July at the Comedy Store in Sydney, so if you missed the festival, or weren’t in town, you can still catch a run of shows curated by the same team.
Sydney Comedy Festival takes it another step further with the Showcase Tour, that takes some of the Festival acts on the road across New South Wales over the rest of the year. The town of Wyong on the Central Coast is the first stop this year on 13th June, and then they’re on the road through till the end of October; perfect if you’re on holiday and going on tour yourself, or a highlight to catch on your mini break from the city.
- WYONG The Art House Thursday, 13 June 2024 07:00 PM
- HORNSBY Hornsby RSL Club Friday, 14 June 2024 08:00 PM
- WENTWORTHVILLE Wenty Leagues Saturday, 15 June 2024 07:30 PM
- KATOOMBA Katoomba RSL Friday, 21 June 2024 07:30 PM
- BATHURST Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre Saturday, 22 June 2024 07:30 PM
- GOSFORD Laycock Street Theatre, Friday, 05 July 2024 07:30 PM
- CASULA Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Saturday, 06 July 2024 07:30 PM
- NOWRA Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Thursday, 01 August 2024 07:30 PM
- MERIMBULA Club Sapphire, Friday, 02 August 2024 08:00 PM
- BATEMANS BAY Bay Pavilions Arts Centre, Saturday, 03 August 2024 07:30 PM
- LAKE MACQUARIE Warners Bay Theatre, Thursday, 08 August 2024 07:30 PM
- SPRINGWOOD Blue Mountains Theatre And Community Hub, Friday, 09 August 2024 08:00 PM
- KIAMA Kiama Leagues, Saturday, 10 August 2024 07:30 PM
- TWEED HEADS Twin Towns Services Club, Thursday, 15 August 2024 07:30 PM
- BRISBANE Brisbane Powerhouse Theatre, Friday, 16 August 2024 07:30 PM
- CALOUNDRA The Events Centre, Saturday, 17 August 2024 07:30 PM
- MILTON Milton Theatre, Friday, 23 August 2024 07:30 PM
- WOLLONGONG Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Saturday, 24 August 2024 08:00 PM
- CANBERRA Canberra Theatre Centre Friday, 30 August 2024 07:30 PM
- WAGGA WAGGA Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre, Saturday, 31 August 2024 07:30 PM
- TAREE Manning Entertainment Centre, Thursday, 05 September 2024 07:30
- PORT MACQUARIE The Glasshouse Theatre, Friday, 06 September 2024 08:00 PM
- COFFS HARBOUR C.ex Coffs Harbour, Saturday, 07 September 2024 07:30 PM
- NEWCASTLE Newcastle Civic Theatre, Friday, 13 September 2024 08:00 PM
- LISMORE Star Court Theatre, Friday, 20 September 2024 07:30 PM
- BYRON BAY Byron Theatre, Saturday, 21 September 2024 05:00 PM
- ORANGE Orange Civic Theatre, Thursday, 10 October 2024 08:00 PM
- COWRA Cowra Civic Centre, Friday, 11 October 2024 07:30 PM
- GOULBURN Goulburn Performing Arts Centre, Saturday, 12 October 2024 07:30 PM
- MAITLAND Maitland Town Hall, Thursday, 24 October 2024 07:30 PM
- MUDGEE Mudgee Town Hall Friday, 25 October 2024 07:30 PM
- DUBBO Dubbo Regional Theatre & Convention Centre Saturday, 26 October 2024 08:00 PM CALOUNDRA
