Australia's stand-up runs to a festival calendar. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival marked its 40th year in 2026 with 9,164 performances over 26 days, and its RAW Comedy competition has launched comedians from Hannah Gadsby to Ronny Chieng. Sydney, Brisbane and Perth follow with festivals of their own in April and May, the Adelaide Fringe fills February and March, and the rooms below keep the stages lit the rest of the year — from North Melbourne and Moore Park to Paddington in Brisbane, Northbridge in Perth, Pirie Street in Adelaide and Australia's oldest working theatre, in Hobart.
The short answer
D.O.C. lists 15 comedy rooms and nights in Australia, in 8 cities — Melbourne (3), Sydney (3), Newcastle, Brisbane (3), Perth (2), Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart — each with a dated show on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026. The festivals ahead: Adelaide Fringe, Friday 19 February to Sunday 21 March 2027, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Wednesday 24 March to Sunday 18 April 2027, Sydney Comedy Festival, Monday 12 April to Sunday 16 May 2027, Brisbane Comedy Festival, Monday 19 April to Sunday 23 May 2027 and Perth Comedy Festival, Monday 19 April to Sunday 16 May 2027. Below: each room's nights, its open mic and how comics get on, tickets and the age rule; the comedy on the road; the festivals and awards; and the 5 comedians SUCDb holds who came up in Australia.
Part of D.O.C.'s International section: the rooms, the nights, the festivals and the awards in Australia, each from its own website, with the comedians SUCDb holds who came up in Australia.
Stand-up comedy in Melbourne
Melbourne's rooms run from Errol Street in North Melbourne to Bourke Street and Exhibition Street in the city centre, and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival returns from 24 March to 18 April 2027.
Level 1, 26 Errol Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051
ShowsLive stand-up most nights in North Melbourne, in a 400-seat room open since 2000, with dinner served before the show; Dave Hughes, Carl Barron, Jim Jefferies, Akmal Saleh and Kitty Flanagan are among the comedians it names on its stage. source ↗
ListedProfessional Comedians – Brand New Material Night — Tuesday 6 October 2026, 8pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the club in person.
TicketsFrom $20 for the Tuesday new-material night; doors and dinner from 6.30pm, and seats are first come, first served, front to back. source ↗
AgeThe Tuesday new-material night is 18 and over. source ↗
AlsoTuesday's Brand New Material Night puts ten professional comedians on one bill with jokes the audience hears first; past nights have featured Arj Barker, Bron Lewis, Ronny Chieng and Jim Jefferies. source ↗
ShowsMain Stage, its lineup show, Wednesday to Saturday at 8pm; the Bar Show on Tuesdays at 7.30pm; Sunday Laughternoons at 4pm; and solo hours, quizzes and storytelling nights through the month. source ↗
ListedRhys Nicholson and Work Friends Try Some Loose Ideas — Sunday 11 October 2026, 6pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micThe Bar Show, Tuesdays at 7.30pm: new comedians doing their best, the best comedians doing their new. source ↗
Getting bookedIts shows mainly feature professional comedians, and it looks for fresh talent with significant experience: email the programming team with a video of a set. source ↗
AlsoAn independent theatre and bar owned and run by comedians, opened in March 2020 by Kyran Nicholson, Rhys Nicholson and Alex Dyson in a former internet gaming cafe; at the 2022 Melbourne International Comedy Festival it hosted three of the seven shows nominated for Most Outstanding Show. source ↗
The Coopers Inn, 282 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
ShowsStand-up every Friday and Saturday at 8pm in the Comedy Room & Bar upstairs at a pub that has stood in the city centre since 1854, with a different lineup each week; regular guests include Luke Kidgell, Celia Pacquola, Anne Edmonds and Dave Thornton. source ↗
ListedComedy at The Coopers Inn — Friday 9 October 2026, 8pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the promoter in person.
Tickets$22 to $70; pre-booking essential; doors at 7.30pm, upstairs on level 2. source ↗
Sydney's stand-up runs from The Comedy Store at Moore Park to the Inner West, where the Enmore Theatre and the Factory Theatre carry comedy on their listings; the Sydney Comedy Festival returns from 12 April to 16 May 2027.
ShowsAustralia's home of comedy since 1981, by its own account: 90-minute showcases of up to eight comedians on Thursdays at 7.30pm, Fridays at 8.30pm and Saturdays at 6.30pm and 8.30pm, with solo hours on other nights. source ↗
ListedThe Friday Showcase — Friday 9 October 2026, 8.30pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the club in person.
TicketsSelect Friday Showcase tickets include drinks or non-alcoholic treats; doors at 8pm. source ↗
AgeUnder-18s must come with an adult or guardian, and shows marked over-18 admit adults only. source ↗
AlsoJoke Lab on Thursdays at 7pm in Comedy Store Too: comedians test brand-new material, $15 with a drink on arrival. source ↗
ShowsStand-up through its October and November 2026 listings, from Kirsty Webeck on 18 October to Future Classics, Luke Heggie and Sean Woodland's new-jokes night, on 5 November. source ↗
ListedNadun Hettiarachchi — Friday 9 October 2026, 7pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the venue in person.
AlsoOpen since 2006 and part of the Sydney Comedy Festival and Sydney Fringe each year, with comedy in the Factory Floor, the Fusebox and the Terminal, a bright red shipping container. source ↗
ShowsNewcastle's first dedicated comedy club: Friday Night Comedy and the Saturday Night Showcase, its flagship weekly show, with comedians from Newcastle, Sydney, interstate and overseas, plus touring headliners. source ↗
ListedSaturday Night Showcase — Saturday 10 October 2026, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micWeekly open mic on Tuesday nights, free entry. source ↗
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the club in person.
AlsoCourses too: a six-week Intro to Stand Up Comedy on Saturday afternoons, and improv classes. source ↗
Brisbane's stand-up centres on The Sit Down Comedy Club at The Paddo in Paddington, with its open mic nights in pubs across the city; the Brisbane Comedy Festival returns from 19 April to 23 May 2027.
ShowsWeekly Thursday, Friday and Saturday night shows of two to two and a half hours, in a room that seats up to 220, plus touring headliners. source ↗
ListedFriday Double Feature, with Matt Okine and Jenny Wynter, MC Mike van Acker — Friday 9 October 2026, 8.15pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micAn open mic circuit in pubs around South-East Queensland, such as Monday nights at the Newmarket Hotel. source ↗
Getting bookedNew comedians bring about five minutes of material and apply through an online expression-of-interest form, posted on the SDCC Brisbane Open Mic Facebook page each Monday around midday and open for 48 hours, two weeks ahead of the shows. source ↗
TicketsThe Friday Double Feature is $35 online, $37 by phone or at the door; seats are allocated by booking. source ↗
Age18 and over, under The Paddo's liquor licence. source ↗
AlsoOpened in 1992 as a Thursday-night show and at The Paddo since 2000; Carl Barron, Dave Hughes, Eric Bana, Jimeoin, Judith Lucy and Kitty Flanagan are among the comedians it has hosted. source ↗
ShowsThe Sit Down Comedy Club's open mic, Mondays at 7pm, with a different MC each week: Brisbane's newest comedians before they become famous. source ↗
ListedOpen Mic Night, MC Suraj Kolarkar — Monday 5 October 2026, 7pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micSpots are booked through The Sit Down Comedy Club's weekly expression-of-interest form. source ↗
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the promoter in person.
ShowsA venue of the Brisbane Comedy Festival, whose listings carry stand-up there outside festival season, such as Melanie Bracewell's live recording in the Powerhouse Theatre on 13 November 2026. source ↗
ListedMelanie Bracewell: Dilly Dallying – Live Recording, in the Powerhouse Theatre — Friday 13 November 2026, 8.30pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the venue in person.
Tickets$39.90, plus a $7.20 transaction fee; latecomers are locked out. source ↗
Perth's weekly stand-up runs on Murray Street in the city and on James Street in Northbridge; the Perth Comedy Festival returns from 19 April to 16 May 2027.
ShowsShows every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, most of them 90 minutes with a short intermission. source ↗
ListedThe Showcase, with Andrew Wolfe, Chris Pucillo and Sophy Nassar — Friday 9 October 2026, 6.30pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the club in person.
TicketsGeneral admission between $25 and $60, with no ticketing fees; walk-ins welcome when a show isn't sold out. source ↗
AgeGenerally 18 and over unless a show says otherwise. source ↗
AlsoThe Gong Show on Thursdays at 7pm: 15 comedians, three minutes each, one gong and $500 cash, with the audience's paddles deciding. source ↗
ShowsFridays at 7pm at Curate on James Street: cabaret seating and an hour of local, national and touring comedians, presented by Grassroots Comedy. source ↗
ListedThe Speakeasy Comedy Club — Friday 9 October 2026, 7pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedGrassroots Comedy asks performers to read its guide to the Perth comedy scene before emailing, and points new comics to its Experimental Comedy Club on Tuesday nights. source ↗
ShowsAdelaide Comedy has produced shows here since 2000: the Adelaide Comedy Showcase on Fridays through the year, and the Rhino Room Late Show during the Adelaide Fringe. source ↗
ListedSharul Channa Live in Adelaide — Wednesday 7 October 2026, 7pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micLaugh Lab, Mondays: doors and sign-up at 7pm, show at 7.30pm, with first-time performers guaranteed a spot. source ↗
Getting bookedBring five minutes to Laugh Lab, or email ahead for a spot; Adelaide Comedy books newcomers who show potential to support professional comedians on its shows. source ↗
TicketsLaugh Lab is $10 for 10 comedians. source ↗
AlsoEstablished in 1997: Adelaide's longest-running dedicated live music and stand-up comedy venue, by its own account, and a platform for emerging artists. source ↗
In the capital, the Canberra Comedy Festival — first held in 2013, Canberra's centenary year — brings a Christmas gala to the Canberra Theatre in December, ahead of its 2027 festival.
The Hedberg, corner of Campbell and Collins Streets, Hobart TAS
ShowsAustralia's oldest working theatre, with touring stand-up on its comedy listings: Geraldine Hickey on 16 October, Khaled Khalafalla in the Studio Theatre on 23 October and Lawrence Mooney on 30 October 2026. source ↗
ListedGeraldine Hickey: A Weight Off My Chest — Friday 16 October 2026, 7.30pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the venue in person.
Tickets$55, $49 concession or for groups of six or more, plus a $6.96 transaction fee per booking. source ↗
Its 40th festival in 2026 ran 26 days: 9,164 performances of 803 shows and events, seen by 796,975 people. It also runs RAW Comedy, Class Clowns and Deadly Funny, with well over a thousand emerging performers taking part in 2026. source ↗
Begun in 2005: five weeks each April and May of comedy in Sydney's theatres, clubs, pubs and performance spaces, opening with its Gala nights. Its 21st year in 2026 brought 411 shows and close to 1,000 performances. source ↗
Its 2026 festival, its largest so far, drew more than 93,000 people; expressions of interest for 2027 are open, with a presenters' kit on its site. source ↗
Four weeks of stand-up, sketch, satire, improv, musical comedy and more each April and May, from internationally known names and Australian favourites to the next generation, in venues across Perth. source ↗
An open-access arts festival held over four weeks each February and March for 66 years: anyone with an event can take part, and more than 8,000 independent artists come to South Australia for it. Its future dates are published to 2031, subject to change. source ↗
Presented in the festival's final week. The 2026 winners: Most Outstanding Show, Celia Pacquola for Gift Horse; Best Newcomer, Nathan Chin for Chinese Comedy Party; People's Choice, Kitty Flanagan for Glad Game; Directors' Choice, Nath Valvo for Homebody and Kate Dolan for Trout; the Golden Gibbo, Laura Davis for Swag; the Piece of Wood, Nikki Britton for Not To Be Dramatic...; and the Pinder Prize, Lizzy Hoo for Says Hoo? source ↗
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival's national open-mic competition, running for 30 years. Joshua Khoury of New South Wales won the 2026 National Grand Final at Melbourne Town Hall on 12 April, from 13 finalists chosen out of almost a thousand entrants, and with it a trip to compete in So You Think You're Funny? at the Edinburgh Fringe. Its alumni include Anne Edmonds, Ronny Chieng, Tom Ballard, Sam Campbell, Celia Pacquola, Hannah Gadsby and Aaron Chen. source ↗
Best of the Fest, Best Newcomer and the Director's Choice, each with a cash prize and a glass trophy, with a Best Indie award new for 2027. The 2026 winners: Best of the Fest, Reuben Kaye and Frankie McNair; Director's Choice, The Burton Brothers; Best Newcomer, Sean Collier. source ↗
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival's national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comedy competition; its 2026 winner was One Silly Ring, of Broome, Western Australia. source ↗
For comics: getting on stage in Australia
The routes to the stage the rooms and festivals publish themselves.
Five minutes of original material at a heat near you, a National Grand Final during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe for the winner. Registrations for 2027 open in late 2026. source ↗
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival's free national competition for secondary students aged 14 to 18: a three-to-five-minute original act, a workshop with a professional comedian, state finals and a National Grand Final with a $1,500 prize. Registrations for 2027 open in October 2026. source ↗
Open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over 18: a two-hour workshop with a seasoned professional comedian, then the stage. Deadly Funny Naarm is at Comedy Republic in Melbourne on Saturday 17 October 2026. source ↗
Open access for citizens and permanent residents of Australia and New Zealand, with no audition: secure a venue and register the show. Registrations for 2027 open later in 2026; the 2026 fee for a show of up to three performances was $375. source ↗
About five minutes of material, then the weekly expression-of-interest form on the SDCC Brisbane Open Mic Facebook page, open from Monday around midday for 48 hours, two weeks ahead of the shows. source ↗
Each room's line above says whether it runs an open mic and how it books. At home in the United States,
Stage Time has open mics by night and the Gig Board has calls for comics.
Australian comedians in SUCDb
The comedians SUCDb holds who came up in Australia, each with their record — and their next date when the Comedy Calendar has one.
From Tasmania: winner of the national Raw Comedy competition in 2006; Nanette (2018) won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special and a Peabody Award, followed by Douglas (2020), Something Special (2023) and Woof! (2026).
No date on the Comedy Calendar just now · their record →
Australian stand-up, actor and writer whose catalog runs from Contraband through ten specials, including Two Limb Policy; co-creator of Legit and host of The Jim Jefferies Show. The Comics Lounge and The Sit Down Comedy Club both name him among the comedians who have played their stages.
Next on the Comedy Calendar: Thursday 22 October 2026 · Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
Raised in Sydney: her debut hour Picture This sold out along Australia's east coast, her second took her to the Edinburgh Fringe and London's West End, and Supreme Mother premiered on Veeps in May 2026; a Logie nominee for Taskmaster Australia.
No date on the Comedy Calendar just now · their record →
From New South Wales: winner of the RAW Comedy National Grand Final at the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, then of the 39th So You Think You're Funny? at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2026.
No date on the Comedy Calendar just now · their record →
Began professionally as a stand-up comedian in Melbourne before the sketch series Full Frontal, then turned to film — Chopper, Black Hawk Down, Troy, Munich; The Sit Down Comedy Club in Brisbane names him among the comedians it has hosted.
Questions about stand-up comedy in Australia
Where can I see stand-up comedy in Australia?
In Melbourne, The Comics Lounge, Comedy Republic and The Coopers Inn; in Sydney, Comedy Store Sydney, Enmore Comedy Club and The Factory Theatre; in Newcastle, Newcastle Comedy Club; in Brisbane, Sit Down Comedy Club, Newmarket Hotel open mic and Brisbane Powerhouse; in Perth, Comedy Lounge and The Speakeasy Comedy Club; in Adelaide, Rhino Room; in Canberra, Canberra Comedy Festival; in Hobart, Theatre Royal. Each had a dated show on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026; its line above has the address, the nights and the age rule.
Are comedy clubs in Australia 18 and over?
3 of the 15 rooms listed here say 18 and over for their evening comedy, but the rule is each room's own: The Comics Lounge: The Tuesday new-material night is 18 and over; Comedy Store Sydney: under-18s must come with an adult or guardian, and shows marked over-18 admit adults only; Sit Down Comedy Club: 18 and over, under The Paddo's liquor licence; Brisbane Powerhouse: Suitable for 15 and over; Comedy Lounge: Generally 18 and over unless a show says otherwise; The Speakeasy Comedy Club: under-18s with a parent or legal guardian; Theatre Royal: recommended for 15 and over.
How do new comedians get on stage in Australia?
RAW Comedy 2027 — Five minutes of original material at a heat near you, a National Grand Final during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe for the winner. Registrations for 2027 open in late 2026. Class Clowns — The Melbourne International Comedy Festival's free national competition for secondary students aged 14 to 18: a three-to-five-minute original act, a workshop with a professional comedian, state finals and a National Grand Final with a $1,500 prize. Registrations for 2027 open in October 2026. Deadly Funny workshops — Open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over 18: a two-hour workshop with a seasoned professional comedian, then the stage. Deadly Funny Naarm is at Comedy Republic in Melbourne on Saturday 17 October 2026. Melbourne International Comedy Festival: performing a show — Open access for citizens and permanent residents of Australia and New Zealand, with no audition: secure a venue and register the show. Registrations for 2027 open later in 2026; the 2026 fee for a show of up to three performances was $375. Adelaide Fringe 2027: event registration — Event registrations for the 2027 Fringe are open; events registered by 30 October 2026 are listed in the Official Fringe Guide. Laugh Lab at the Rhino Room, Adelaide — Mondays: prepare five minutes, bring friends and sign up at 7pm, or email ahead for a spot; first-time performers are guaranteed a spot. The Sit Down Comedy Club open mic, Brisbane — About five minutes of material, then the weekly expression-of-interest form on the SDCC Brisbane Open Mic Facebook page, open from Monday around midday for 48 hours, two weeks ahead of the shows.
Which Australian comedians are in SUCDb?
Hannah Gadsby, Jim Jefferies, Jenny Tian, Joshua Khoury and Eric Bana — each with a record of their career and its sources.
Sources
Each fact on this page is from the room's, festival's or award's own website, read on 4 October 2026; the
comedians' lines are from their SUCDb records, which carry their own sources. 26 sites, 66 pages:
