A full month of comedy takes over Brisbane next April and May, and the first wave of artists is looking stacked.
Brisbane Comedy Festival is returning from 24 April to 24 May 2026, and the whole city is basically turning into one giant laugh pit again. We’re talking Brisbane Powerhouse, The Fortitude Music Hall, The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre, all running comedy like it’s a competitive sport. If you live anywhere near Brisbane during festival month, you’re not escaping it. Not even a little bit.
The festival has been doing its thing since 2009 and hits its 17th birthday in 2026. After a record-breaking 2025 season, which saw more than 90,000 people come through the doors across 420 performances, the organisers clearly said, “cool, let’s go bigger”.
Opening Gala Incoming
Things kick off on Friday, 24 April, with the iconic Opening Gala at The Fortitude Music Hall. It’s the single most unhinged sampler platter of the festival, packed with comedians who all go “I will ruin your abs tonight” in completely different ways. It sells out every year, so you know exactly what you need to do.
The First Lineup Drop Is Kind of Ridiculous
The festival has revealed its first wave of artists for 2026, and it is already an abdominal workout. Here’s a taste:
Denise Scott, Melanie Bracewell, The Umbilical Brothers, Connor Burns, Dave Hughes, Anisa Nandaula, Georgie Carroll, Schalk Bezuidenhout, Ray O’Leary, Tom Cashman, Marty Sheargold, Shitfaced Shakespeare, Bron Lewis, Guy Williams, Chris Parker, Joanne McNally, Colin Mochrie (HYPROV), Jack Ansett, plus more names still to come.
That is a chaotic family photo. In a good way.
Highlights You Should Already Be Talking About
Denise Scott is coming back with her first solo show in more than a decade. It’s called Tickety Boo and blends her trademark observational chaos with personal stories that will definitely hit you between the ribs.
Melanie Bracewell arrives with Dilly Dallying, a new hour about procrastination that will undoubtedly shame everyone who spent the last three hours scrolling through Threads.
Scottish favourite Connor Burns returns with Gallus, which promises the kind of quick-witted sharpshooting that leaves you blinking at the stage lights. Dave Hughes is back, too, bringing Cooked, which feels like the most accurate title he’s ever put on a show.
Anisa Nandaula delivers No Small Talk, a beautifully unfiltered exploration of life and identity. Georgie Carroll mines the absolute absurdity of healthcare in Infectious. And for the agents of chaos in the audience, Shitfaced Shakespeare: Hamlet returns with one drunk actor each night. There is no version of this that ends normally.
Schalk Bezuidenhout digs deep in Hey Hey Divorcé. Ray O’Leary stays on brand with nervous deadpan brilliance in I Can See O’Leary Now the Ray Has Gone. Tom Cashman arrives with NPC, a title that may hit too close to home for anyone who has ever answered an email at 2am.
This Is Only the Beginning
This is just the amuse-bouche. The full program lands in March and will include international debuts, homegrown heroes, late-night chaos, all-ages shows and the extremely Brisbane tradition of stumbling into a free outdoor event you didn’t know was happening.
If you’re planning to go, start planning now. If you’re not planning to go, you will be influenced into going by someone in your life. It’s unavoidable.
TL;DR
- Brisbane Comedy Festival runs from 24 April to 24 May 2026
- Huge first lineup drop, including Denise Scott, Melanie Bracewell and The Umbilical Brothers
- Opening Gala on 24 April at The Fortitude Music Hall
- Tickets: presale 13 November at 10am AEST, general sale 14 November at 10am AEST
- Full program coming in March
- One full month of belly laughs across Brisbane
- Official site: brisbanecomedyfestival.com
Stay unruly.
