After COVID cut the festival short in 2020 (boo!), Brisbane Comedy Festival is back and better than ever. Celebrating its 11th year, the beloved annual event is taking over Brisbane Powerhouse, The Fortitude Music Hall and The Tivoli with a star-studded smorgasbord of side-splitting live gigs. With a whole year of lockdown behind them, you could say this year’s line-up of homegrown heroes had a fair bit of time to prepare, so our expectations are … high. In time-honoured fashion, the Brisbane Comedy Festival Opening Gala kicks off the festival on July 16 with a spectacular line-up of comedians at The Fortitude Music Hall, hosted by everyone’s TV crush Tommy Little. From there, we’ll witness a melting pot of funny people take the stage –there’s beloved comedian Ross Noble, Brisbane local Lizzy Hoo, buff duo The Naked Magicians, RuPaul’s Drag Race favourite Karen from Finance and local comedy couple Stav and Kat Davidson.
The famous faces, like the wisecracks, will continue to be served thick and fast – Christian Hull will debut his solo stand-up during the festival, whilst seasoned entertainer Paul McDermott will make some memorable quips followed hot on the heels by the likes of Mel Buttle, Kevin Kropinyeri, Jimeoin, Cal Wilson, Jeff Green, Tom Ballard and the Aboriginal Comedy Allstars (starring top-notch comedians Sean Choolburra, Kevin Kropinyeri, Andy Saunders and Steph Tisdell). Brisbane Powerhouse will also host the return of festival favourite Frocking Hilarious, a comedy extravaganza featuring some of the funniest women in the business, alongside stellar productions Queerstories, Brisburned, This Is Your Trial and free Friday comedy show Knockoff. If savage insult-athons are your favourite type of comedy, you’ll be pleased to hear that The Tivoli will host the Brisbane Comedy Festival’s Sunday Roast on July 25 with Fiona O’Loughlin, Peter Helliar, Anne Edmonds, Lloyd Langford, Rosie Waterland, Dave Thornton and Geraldine Hickey all throwing verbal barbs on the night.
Tickets for Brisbane Comedy Festival are on sale now! To check out the full program and to buy tickets, head here.
This article was written in partnership with our friends at Brisbane Powerhouse.
