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The Sydney Comedy Festival is back for another year and seems to be growing bigger on each return. This year, Sydney boasts around 850 performances across Sydney, energising the nightlife and entertainment precincts with laughs from April 13 to May 17. With a Tiffany Haddish headliner, to grassroots comedians on home soil, where do you even start figuring out which to see? Look no further than this list.
If you’re wanting to pack in a whole bunch of names to boost those comedy numbers, consider checking out the new Comedy Gala on The Green at Tumbalong Park or you could even take to the high seas for a laugh. This year also sees the return of the Comedy Bar Crawl with FIVE Comedy Crawls across FIVE Sydney hotspots, as well as special curated outdoor events that are suitable for the whole family to join in the laughs.
Big Names, big laughs
Rove McManus - Tonight’s Guest: Rove McManus (Tales From the Talk Show Trenches)
When and where: May 8, The Grand Electric. $50. Book here.
With more than 25 years of talk show host duties under his belt, Rove is back to share the many conversations and interviews he’s had over his career. But this time, he’s the special guest. This is your chance to ask any burning questions you've had for an Australian television host and get the inside scoop on some hot celebrity-infused tea. Rove’s ready to spill and you’re invited to join him in it.
Reuben Kaye - Hard to Swallow
When and where: May 16, Enmore Theatre. $35. Join the Waitlist here.
After the announcement of his first program as the new Artistic Director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Reuben Kaye returns with a brand-new solo cabaret comedy show. Reuben is taking aim at the world’s monsters diving headfirst into the hard-to-swallow truths society would rather choke down than confront – yeah, there’s going to be a lot of sexy puns. This is classed as a “no-holds-barred spectacle” and with Kaye’s signature style of sharp, sexy and political commentary, there’ll be plenty to gawk and laugh at.
Celia Pacquola - Gift Horse
When and where: May 16, Concourse Theatre, Chatswood. $65. Book here.
Celia Pacquola is going from hit to hit of late. Hot off her TV hosting duties on Thank God You’re Here, and as a recurring figure on such TV shows as Dog Park and Utopia, Celia has still found the time to write and tour a new comedy show. As her show says, she wasn’t planning on doing a show this year, but then her boyfriend gave her an inflatable kayak for her birthday…so here she is. This is a show that promises to be about the people we love and the times when they give us things we hate, filled with her witty observations and honest stories, Celia is continuing to show why she’s an Australian comedy icon.
Frocking Hilarious
When and where: May 10, Enmore Theatre. $50. Book here.
Come together at this Sydney Comedy Festival for a night with Australia’s leading women of comedy to support a good cause. ActionAid’s mission is to empower women, and change the world and Frocking Hilarious has returned to help do just that. Bringing together the best in comedy, this is a moment to see what Australia has to offer and raise some money in the process.
Grassroot comedians
Anisa Nandaula - No Small Talk
When and where: May 16-17, Comedy Store. $35. Book here.
Anisa Nandaula is one of those comedians who makes you feel like you're at a house party, chatting to a friend about the chaos of their life. No Small Talk brings Anisa’s casual, authentic approach to comedy armed with the sharp Australian tongue of banter. Anisa’s no-filtered approach to making big laughs at her sets lives in a niche little corner of the internet where she’s perfected this trait. Having seen her at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, I can say that she is a true blue Grassroots comedian to see before she makes it big. Don’t be the one to say you missed her.
Gabbi Bolt: Small Poppy
When and where: May 6-8, Factory Theatre. $35. Book here.
Gabbi Bolt is no stranger to the comedy circuits, and Small Poppy may just be her best show yet. Gabbi blew up during the pandemic due to her hand in writing the Ratatouille inspired online-musical, Ratatousical and has since honed her craft in musical comedy. Small Poppy sees Gabbi step out from behind the keyboard to take on the challenge of involving more traditional stand-up comedy into her skillset. Throughout Small Poppy, we see the razor sharp dissecting of success, failure, Ancient Rome and the very Australian notion of the tall poppy syndrome. People are tricky; Gabbi Bolt will help you to understand why.
Joshua Hauville - Joshy in Paris
When and where: April 23-24, Factory Theatre. $35. Book here.
Fresh on the scene after a Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut in 2025, Joshua Hauville brings his world tour of Joshy in Paris to the Sydney Comedy Festival. This is a delicious blend of stand up, very camp cabaret, and clowning which takes you to the streets of Paris where Joshua shares the very chic lifestyle of being a gay Australian aiming for superstardom. There’s bound to be absurd tales, glitzy stories of relationships loved and lost, and the type of gay grunge that the Parisian streets imbue in a tourist’s travels.
Names you may recognise
Zachary Ruane - Comedy
When and where: May 6-9, Factory Theatre. $35. Book here.
You may recognise Zachary Ruane as one third of the silly Aunty Donna boys – the absurdist alternative comedy trio with Netflix and ABC shows, a YouTube series, and successful podcast following in Australia. Now Zachary is venturing further into the realm of comedy than man has ever gone before (or probably ever should). I saw this early project when it was still a build-a-show concept at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and even in its infancy, Zachary manages to go into the absurd with such ease, while still maintaining a fresh and jovial quality throughout. What is “comedy” you ask? The answer lies in the mind of Zachary Ruane.
Elouise Eftos - Aphrodite
When and where: May 9-10, Bondi Pavillion Theatre. $50. Book here.
Elouise Eftos – Australia’s First Attractive Comedian if you didn’t know – returns after her smash-hit debut solo show to explore the most sought after of trophies: Love. A feminist fembot in everything she does, Aphrodite is Elouise’s exploration about loving (and hating) men, modern dating and its ancient roots, women’s sexual liberation and the desire for purity, and whether love is even a real thing in the realm of dating apps. Aphrodite is sure to be as sexy as it is thought provoking, and as evocative as it is a Studio 54 fever dream.
Lou Wall - Where Are All The Tall Grandmas?
When and where: April 26, The Grand Electric. $45. Book here.
Lou Wall went viral (the elusive golden dream for most comedians in this online reality) last year for their Facebook Marketplace piece at the MICF Comedy Gala. I’m still asking, “Where is bed?”. Lou is back with their latest show posing an immediate ear worm of a question, Where Are All The Tall Grandmas? Using their unique blend of investigative powerpoint musical comedy, Lou Wall will send you on an unhinged hour of comedy that will cause you to question the very existence of the world and the illusory beings that exist in it. It’s a journey into height, heritage and what it truly means to live large.
Takashi Wakasugi - Wabi-Sabi Comedy
When and where: May 14, Bondi Pavillion Theatre. $32. Book here.
Takashi “Waka” Wakasugi returns to the comedy circuit after conquering Australian Taskmaster, Thank God You’re Here, and Guy Montgomery’s Guy-Mont Spelling Bee. Wabi-sabi (侘び寂び) is a Japanese aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness, which Waka believes is a great way to make people happy. So, he’s adapting it to his comedy: Welcome to Wabi-Sabi Comedy. Waka brings his dry wit and humour to the stage for Sydney audiences, offering the notion that joy can be found in the art of the insult. Be sure to “Arigato” on your way out.
Take a punt on…
Elf Lyons - Swan
When and where: April 22-24, Factor Theatre. $35-$37. Book here.
Elf Lyons is the definition of a comedic golden nugget. She may not be on your radar, but when you find her you're offered an abundance of humour, charm and time well spent. This was exactly the case for me when I took a punt on seeing Elf’s show Horses at the 2025 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Swan is her cult classic, critically acclaimed, one-woman punk reimagining of Swan Lake and it’s also one not to miss. The best description I can give is from the Sydney Comedy Festival website: “The show involves ballet, violence, wrestling, nudity, an evil owl, magic, 45 bras and a very loose grasp of the French language”. That’s it, now go see it.
Kate Dolan - Trout
When and where: May 9-10, Factory Theatre. $35. Book here.
I was introduced to Kate Dolan for 10 minutes in a tightly packed yurt at Adelaide’s Courtyard of Curiosities and left with a stitch that remained until the next day. That’s how funny she is. Trout unspools the idea that in 2026 being a fish in the river might be nicer than a woman on land. Kate comes in strong, landing hard on her absurdist comedy and before long you and the crowd are one ball of giggling, laughing, chortling and gawking neanderthals. It’s a joyous way to spend an hour, honestly.
Ally Morgan - If You’re Hearing This
When and where: May 16-17, Bondi Pavillion Theatre. $40. Book here.
Ally Morgan is back, and it’s time to rejoice! Ally’s musical comedy is not only award-winning, but it’s also timely, poignant and damn catchy. Drifting through space following the collapse of society, If You’re Hearing This sees Ally corresponding with aliens in the search for any of Earth’s survivors. Take a punt and open your readiness for observational comedy told through unhinged anecdotes, political silliness and all of it done with Ally’s infectious optimism. The world may seem like it’s falling apart, but at least we can sing about it.
