The Melbourne International Comedy Festival – held in March/April every year – is impossible to miss, with the city practically shaking with laughter every night for several weeks. MICF is back in 2022, with the festival running from March 30 to April 24.
Some of the festival's biggest events like the Gala and Comedy Allstars Supershow, are coming back, and festival registrations for comedians are now open. They'll stay open until March 2022 as well, to give artists as much time as possible to consider their options in this uncertain landscape. The 2022 festival also features a new logo by local artist David Booth, a sunny, joyful figure that will replace the Judy Horacek-drawn logo that the festival has used since 2019.
In 2022 MICF is bringing back international guests, with the likes of Stephen K Amos, Flo and Joan, Arj Barker, Mark Watson, Jason Byrne, Urzila Carlson, Melanie Bracewell and Guy Montgomery all set to perform. Local talent slated for the festival so far includes Ivan Aristeguieta, Carl Barron, Michelle Brasier, Harley Breen, Sam Campbell, Aaron Chen, Georgie Carroll, Nick Cody, Joel Creasey, Alice Fraser, Luke Heggie, Nazeem Hussain, Sammy J, Jimeoin, Becky Lucas, Ali McGregor, Rhys Nicholson, Chris Ryan, Andy Saunders, Dane Simpson and Kirsty Webeck.
The festival is bringing back its 24/24 ticket deal for 2022 as well. For 24 hours from 11am on Tuesday, February 1 until 10.59am on February 2, you can score tickets to a range of shows for just $24. There are some big names participating in the deal as well – think Joel Creasey, Urzila Carlson, Nazeem Hussain, Wil Anderson, Michelle Brasier, Geraldine Hickey, Phil Wang, Zoe Coombs Marr, Karen From Finance and David O'Doherty. Click here to nab your tickets before allocation runs out.
As the third-largest international comedy festival in the world, MICF generally boasts more than 400 shows to choose from. This is a month where the world's best funny people rub shoulders with the country's hottest emerging talent; and while it's one of the most exciting times of the year to be a Melburnian, choosing which shows to see can feel overwhelming.
There are a few ways around this predicament. You could simply rock up at the Town Hall in the evening and check out what's on for the night, you could ask the festival's friendly staff for recommendations, or you could keep a close eye on social media (especially Twitter) to see what everyone is raving about. Or, you know, check out Time Out's annual list of reviews to get our top picks.
Tickets for several MICF events, including the Gala, are on sale now.
