Enjoy some cheeky laughs with Hard Rated

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is pleased to welcome Hard Rated as a Major Partner of the 2025 event, adding a refreshing zest to a number of the Festival bars this year!

To celebrate the new partnership, Hard Rated is serving up the finest laughs alongside the best beverages in town at a special event on Monday 31 March at Max Watt’s. Cheeky Business, presented by Hard Rated and hosted by Lloyd Langford, will see a jam-packed line up of some of the most courageous and clever comedians around, featuring acts from across the Festival – Lizzy Hoo, Lewis Garnham, He Huang, Bron Lewis, Luke Heggie and Carl Donnelly (UK) – in one massive hour of mischief and non-stop laughs.

Keen audience members can seat themselves in the Hard Rated Hot Seats and put themselves in the firing line, as performers take their material from the stage into the audience and back again. Cheeky Business is a show made for the bravest and boldest of comedy fans.

This is the first major event partnership for Hard Rated, an initiative aimed to encourage comedians and audience members alike to be cheeky and have complete and utter fun on a mainstream platform in one of the world’s largest comedy festivals.

Hard Rated Marketing Manager, Amy Pollock-Hall said: ‘Hard Rated is all about encouraging moments of cheekiness and testing unwritten social boundaries for a laugh, and who does that better than comedians? We can’t wait to see this partnership come to life with a big night of hard comedy for Melburnians.'

Comedian Lloyd Langford said: 'I'm super pumped to be hosting this show for Hard Rated. When life gives you lemons, add Hard Rated to them.'

Dylan Cole, Executive Director, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, said: ‘We are thrilled to welcome Hard Rated as a Major Partner of the Festival. Comedy has always embraced the cheeky spirit and this partnership celebrates that. We look forward to sharing a laugh and a Hard Rated with all of Melbourne.’

You can find Hard Rated during the Festival at key venues including Melbourne Town Hall, Max Watt’s, The Westin Melbourne, Arts Centre Melbourne, The Victoria Hotel, The Capitol, ACMI, Chinese Museum, fourtyfivedownstairs and more!