FAQs

The 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival will take place from Wednesday 26 March to Sunday 20 April 2025.

To keep up to date with all announcements as they happen, sign up to our e-newsletter and follow us on our social media channels. New shows are announced regularly, and for a list of shows currently on sale click here (and remember to keep checking back for new announcements). 

Registrations for shows at the 2025 Festival are now open. For more information on participating in the Festival visit our For Performers page.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is an open access festival for all citizens and permanent residents of Australia and New Zealand. Overseas artists or their producers should submit an Expression Of Interest to the Festival Director. For more information visit our For Performers page.

There are lots of ways to stay in touch with the Festival. You can sign up to our e-newsletter, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter and TikTok, subscribe to our YouTube channel and join the conversation using the hashtag #MICF.

You can book online for most shows right here on the Melbourne Comedy Festival website. Select the relevant date/time on the calendar of each show listing and you can either purchase tickets on site or click the blue 'buy now' button to purchase tickets through an external authorised ticketing provider. If you want to book by phone or in person, relevant booking options for each show will appear on the individual show pages. During the Festival period, tickets can also be purchased from the Melbourne Town Hall Box Office or at the door of most venues on the night of the show.

If you're looking for a deal check out the best ways to snap up a deal at the Festival!

Please note, under the Major Events Act 2009 it is illegal for a Melbourne International Comedy Festival ticket to be resold or offered or advertised for resale for more than 10% above the face value purchase price of the ticket.

Sign up to our e-news for details on new show announcements as they are released.

Many unofficial sellers will list tickets for sale, even though they do not actually have those tickets. This is called ‘speculative ticketing’. They are speculating that they will be able to get tickets and then resell them to fans. Those speculative listings are not real tickets in hand (they do not actually have those tickets to sell). Beware of these sellers.

Melbourne International Comedy Festival is subject to a major event ticket declaration under Part 9A of the Major Events Act 2009. This means it is an offence to sell, advertise or offer to resell a ticket for more than 10% above its face value purchase price. Offenders could face fines for multiple offences of up to $96,700 for an individual and $483,500 for a company.

To eliminate the risk of fraud, you are advised to purchase tickets from comedyfestival.com.au, as purchasing a ticket from an unauthorised seller can result in the ticket holder being denied entry.

For enquiries regarding the Major Events Act, contact fairgo.forfans@ecodev.vic.gov.au.

If you booked your tickets but are no longer able to attend on the date you have booked, please contact our Box Office team on +61 3 9245 3788 no less than 48 hours before your performance. We will work with you to exchange your tickets for the same show on a different date for a small fee. Exchanges are subject to availability at the time of exchange and must be of equal value to the original ticket(s) purchased. If you wish to exchange to a higher-priced ticket(s), you will be asked to pay the difference in ticket price.

If you purchased your ticket through an authorised booking agent other than Melbourne Comedy Festival then please contact the agent directly to learn more about their exchange policy.

If you have bought a ticket and can no longer attend, you can pass on your ticket or sell it to a friend, as long as you don’t sell it for more than 10% above its face value purchase price.

It is an offence to resell or attempt to resell tickets to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for more than 10% above the original face value.

To report a ticket being sold for more than 10% above its face value, contact fairgo.forfans@ecodev.vic.gov.au.

Know someone who loves comedy but don’t know what they want to see? Treat them to a Melbourne International Comedy Festival gift voucher! Gift vouchers are available for online purchase here.

Vouchers can be redeemed for tickets to Melbourne International Comedy Festival shows in selected venues (including Melbourne Town Hall, Trades Hall, Max Watt’s, Westin Melbourne, The Victoria Hotel and many more). Vouchers are redeemed via a unique code, which you will receive instantly via email on purchase. Vouchers can be redeemed online, over the phone or at a Melbourne International Comedy Festival box office.

Please note: vouchers are non-refundable and cannot be redeemed for cash. Not valid for purchases through Ticketmaster, Ticketek or any other external ticketing provider. Redemption for particular performances will be subject to availability.

All Comedy Festival Gift Vouchers are valid for three years and refunds will not be offered due to intervening circumstances within a single year.

Most Melbourne International Comedy Festival venues have unreserved (general admission) seating. Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis and you may be seated separately from other members of your party. If you, or anyone in your party, has any accessibility requests please email access@comedyfestival.com.au or phone +61 3 9245 3788 so we can advise the venue.

Preview shows are the first few performances of an artist's run. They are a cheaper ticket because performers often make a few last-minute tweaks to material and the technical elements of their shows in the first few days. Preview shows are a high quality performance ready for the audience and a great way to see comedians at a cheaper price!

The Gala is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's most popular event and always sells out very quickly. The best way to get tickets for future years is to join our mailing list to be the first to find out exactly when and where the Gala will go on sale. Due to the popularity of the Gala, and its status as a fundraising event for Oxfam, we do not set aside tickets for corporate sales.

Refunds are only issued according to the Live Performance Australia Ticketing Code of Practice. Refunds are only issued if:

• a main attraction/event is cancelled or rescheduled
• a main attraction/star performer(s) is cancelled or rescheduled and substitute arranged
• an event is 'part' cancelled by premature termination substantially before performance of advertised content or expiration of advertised duration
• previously undisclosed significant visual obstruction for a reserved seat is reported soon after commencement

If you feel that you are entitled to a refund, please contact the Comedy Festival office by emailing customerservice@comedyfestival.com.au, addressing all communication to the Executive Director. The final decision on refunds is made by the producer of the show. If asking us about a refund is for such a show, we will communicate your request to that show's producer.

Yes! We’d recommend you contact the ticketing agent or venue ahead of time as some may require contact details of the new ticket holder. If any tickets are concession tickets please be aware proof of concession is required, or a fee may be charged to upgrade to a full price ticket.

Melbourne International Comedy Festival strives to provide access and inclusion for everyone. The Festival offers a range of accessible services and facilities across our Festival managed and independent venues in order to ensure that all comedy lovers have access to a safe and enjoyable experience.

The Festival has a dedicated Accessibility email address – access@comedyfestival.com.au – so please get in touch if you have any questions regarding accessibility at the Festival, would like to provide feedback or would like any information in another format.

To book a ticket to show with any accessible service, please see the How to Book Your Ticket section below to ensure the Festival can provide the best service.

For detailed venue information for all Festival Managed Venues please see the Venue Information page. The information provided details public transport and parking options including accessible tram stops and accessible parking bays nearby to each venue, box office information, bar options, step-free and/or wheelchair accessible routes, types of seating including accessible seating, which venues offer assistive listening as well as information about bathroom facilities.

The Festival also uses a range of independent venues, such as pubs, theatres and function spaces, that manage their operations independently. The Festival strives to provide as much accessibility information about each of these spaces in the dropdown under the Venue name on each show page, but we also encourage you to check the venue’s website or contact them directly for more accessibility information.

For more information about Auslan interpreted shows including a list of all Auslan interpreted shows this year, assistive listening/hearing loop availability at venues and information about how to filter the program to see accessible show features, please see the Accessibility page.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival has contacts for all the comedians who appear at the Festival but the question of who is best for your event can be a really tricky one. We recommend you have a look at past Festival programs and, if you want to contact someone in particular, let us know. Otherwise, contact us and we can put you in touch with booking agents in your area. 

If you have lost property at a Melbourne International Comedy Festival show the best thing to do is complete the Lost Property Register form HERE. We recommend you also contact the venue directly as some Comedy Festival venues manage their own lost property. The majority of venues will keep lost property on site for the duration of the Festival. If you need help finding contact information for a venue or have any further queries you can contact the Festival office on +61 3 9245 3700 or info@comedyfestival.com.au.