Sydney Comedy Festival is pulling no punches for its 20th anniversary

• The 20th annual Sydney Comedy Festival has announced its most ambitious program to date.
• Comedy Night Galas are back on the cards with some of the world’s biggest comedians.
• There is a free family-friendly day on the park included in the program this year.
• READ MORE: Vivid Sydney is shutting down Surry Hills with street parties.

The Sydney Comedy Festival has been one of the city’s most beloved annual events since 2005, pulling over 120,000 attendees into the city’s best theatres to witness some of the world’s greatest comedians constantly rethinking the art of standup and showcasing new material.

Festival director Jorge Menidis is pulling no punches for its 20th anniversary either. This is easily one of the most creative programs Sydney Comedy Festival has announced in its long history, featuring everything from a comedy pub crawl to their biggest free outdoor event to date.

Much like watching a film is that much better during a film festival, laugh addicts know that seeing a comedy show at a dedicated comedy festival is unmatched. The community is tighter, the atmosphere is palpable, and the comedians are feeling experimental. Such value has been keeping this dynamic event rolling for decades now, so we’re excited to see more varied events in the program making it even more accessible for anyone seeking laughs with a side of piercing social commentary.

When is the Sydney Comedy Festival?

The 20th annual Sydney Comedy Festival will run from Monday, April 21 to Sunday, May 18.

So, who’s headlining the Sydney Comedy Festival lineup?

More than 350 local and international comedians will take to various stages and bars around Sydney.

Big names like Daniel Sloss, Arj Barker, Becky Lucas, Jimeoin and Rhys Nicholson headline the program, with a major highlight being the return of Sydney Comedy Festival Gala nights.

What are the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala Nights?

The crème de la crème of comedy will be the six Comedy Festival Gala Nights. one for each of the major venues:

• Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay
• Enmore Theatre, Enmore
• Riverside Theatres, Parramatta
• The Pavilion, Sutherland
• The Concourse Theatre, Chatswood
• The Joan, Penrith

Want to a win a double pass to the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala Night at Sydney Opera House? Enter Sydney Travel Guide’s latest competition.

These are the “night of nights” for the Sydney Comedy Festival, and often the first events to sell out with a huge night of comedians doing 5-10 minutes each. The vibes are high, the pressure is on, and the crowds are typically hard to impress. But what really pulls it all together is the camaraderie and competition between all the comedians.

“They are competitive,” says funny man Jimeoin when talking to Sydney Travel Guide. “You’re on with a bunch of other comics and you want to stand out. Which makes it good for the audience.”

Becky Lucas shares the same sentiment, although she’s more concerned with the collaborative part.

“When you do a solo show, it’s just you backstage, but at a gala there’s a bunch of you hanging out and having fun,” she explains. “It’s a great vibe, it’s usually in an amazing venue and everyone has a good time.”

“They are a great way to see a snippet of the best of the best,” adds local Elouise Eftos, who only performed her first Gala last year.

“For us comedians, it’s a big deal to perform in front of these big crowds and show you what we’ve got, and can hopefully entice you to come and see us do more.”

Each of the comedians offshoot into their own solo shows as well, so a Gala is a great way to pick-and-mix, find your flavour and dive in for the main course.

When it comes to performance art with an element of improvisation, atmosphere matters. The audience and artist work in sync, and there’s a general agreement that each will feed of the others energy. Which we guess is why these Galas are so coveted whenever Sydney Comedy Festival rolls around. Collaboration and competition means you’ll get the best out of the comedians on the run sheet.

Who’s on the run sheet? No one knows. Each Gala night is keeping the line ups close knit, but with so many famous comedians in town during the festival you never know who might pop in to test and evolve their latest material.

Tickets for all the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala nights can be found over at the event’s official website.

What’s this Sydney Comedy Festival Crawl I’m hearing about?

The inaugural Sydney Comedy Festival Crawl is, in our opinion, one of the smartest ways to bring something different to the festival’s 20th anniversary.

Festival organisers are working with the city’s YCK Laneways precinct to fill each of the area’s best bars with stand up comedians all night, so ticket holders can have a little comedy trial while also enjoying some of the best drinks Sydney has to offer.

It’s a guided tour as well. Four comedy sets, four brilliant comedians and four trendy bars are taking part, with guests venue hopping with a surprise MC that’ll take the crowd on a crawl between Wynyard and Town Hall.

Where: YCK Laneways
When: Tuesday, May 6 + Saturday, May 10
Price: $50

Family Fun at Sydney Comedy Festival

Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park has been one of the busiest green spaces for major events in Sydney as of late. Vivid Sydney is using it for one big free multicultural concert, and we’ve already seen it pop to life for major events like SXSW Sydney as well as free outdoor movie screenings in Summer.

Sydney Comedy Festival is turning it into the Great Laugh in the Park, a free family event on Saturday, April 26 that’ll go all day from 12pm to 8:30pm.

Hosted by Australian comedy legend, ABC Kid’s Giggle and Hoot’s Jimmy Rees OAM, the event will feature a long list of family-friendly laughs from the likes of Dorothy the Dinosaur (yes, from The Wiggles), ABC’s award-winning The Listies, US stand-up Drew Lynch, Texan comedian Kemah Bob, and locals Nick Cody, Matt Okine and Aunty Donna. Also on the cards is 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown’s Sara Pascoe and Edinburgh Fringe sell-out The Greatest Magic Show, with mind-boggling illusions and circus acts.

There’s even some live music round out the event with party band Furnace and the Fundamentals joined by a roster of local DJs.

It’s not all about the shows either. There will be roving performers, a pop-up bar, face painting, temporary tattoos, and more across the park’s three venues: The Giggle Garden, The Alcazar Circus Tent and the main stage.

“This free event is the first of its kind in the Festival’s 20-year history,” said Menidis.

“We are so exited to give back to the community in this amazing outdoor space full of fun for everyone. So bring along mum, dad and the kids, and prepare for a jam-packed family day out.”

Where: Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour
When: Saturday, April 26; 12pm – 8:30pm
Price: Free (the first 1000 registrations receive a free showbag)

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