Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Name

Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Legal name

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Limited

Website

https://comedyfestival.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Comedy Festival

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Comedy Festivals (MPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Comedy Club & Showcase Nights (MPAGACAE)

Keywords

• Live comedy events
• Comedy festival ticketing
• Comedy talent development
• Comedy film competition
• National comedy touring

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales to individual comedy shows across 100+ venues. Ticket prices range from free (The Very Big Laugh Out) to $36 for premium shows, with booking fees of $2.50 per ticket up to $7.50 per transaction.
2. Dinner Package Sales: Stand-Up & Supper packages pairing comedy shows with dinner at partner restaurants, priced $80-84 per person including ticket and meal.
3. Merchandise: Sale of Comedy Pins and other merchandise through the festival website.
4. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers available for purchase, redeemable against festival tickets and experiences.
5. Partnership Revenue: Sponsorship and partnership deals with organizations including Creative Victoria, City of Melbourne, Channel Nine, The Age, Fox, TripleM, ABC, and Secure Parking.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival produces and presents Australia's largest annual comedy festival — a 26-day event hosted across 100+ venues in Melbourne with hundreds of paid and free comedy shows, supplemented by national touring, talent development competitions (RAW Comedy, Class Clowns, Deadly Funny), a short film competition (Funny Shorts), a late-night venue (Festival Club), outdoor family programming (The Very Big Laugh Out), and dinner pairing packages (Stand-Up & Supper). Ticket sales, sponsorship, government arts funding, merchandise, and gift vouchers fund the non-profit festival operation.

Product overview

Melbourne International Comedy Festival is a single-event comedy festival platform offering a portfolio of comedy products and programs. Core offerings include individual comedy show tickets across multiple venues, free outdoor programming (The (Very) Big Laugh Out), late-night entertainment (Festival Club), and dining-comedy packages (Stand-Up & Supper). Supporting programs include the annual Funny Shorts short film competition, national touring (Comedy Festival Roadshow), and talent development competitions (RAW Comedy, Deadly Funny, Class Clowns). The festival operates primarily as a ticketing platform connecting audiences with live comedy performances across Melbourne venues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RAW Comedy: National open mic comedy competition for emerging comedians
• Deadly Funny
• Class Clowns
• Funny Shorts
• The Funny Tonne
• Comedy Roadshow
• The (Very) Big Laugh Out
• Festival Club
• Stand-up & Supper

Products and services

• The (Very) Big Laugh Out Free outdoor comedy programming featuring world-class street performers and stand-up acts across Federation Square and City Square during school holidays, suitable for all ages.
• Festival Club Late-night 18+ comedy venue at Max Watt's featuring multiple weekly show formats including Comedy Bonanza, Lip Sync Battle, and special themed nights with DJ performances and dancing.
• Funny Shorts Annual short film competition and screening event co-presented with ACMI at Federation Square, showcasing Australian comedy filmmakers with cash prizes ($5,000 winner, $1,000 audience favourite) and festival screening events for adult, concession, and ACMI Member ticket holders.
• Stand-Up & Supper Dinner and comedy pairing packages combining comedy show tickets with pre-show or post-show dining at partnered Melbourne restaurants including The George on Collins ($84/person), Allegro ($80/person), Robata ($81/person), Hophaus Southbank, and Pastuso.
• Comedy Festival Roadshow National touring program bringing Melbourne International Comedy Festival comedy acts to venues across Australia beyond the Melbourne festival, marketed as Australia's biggest comedy festival on the road.
• RAW Comedy National open-mic comedy competition for emerging stand-up comedians, with state/territory heats and a national grand final; 2026 winner was Joshua Khoury.
• Deadly Funny Indigenous Australian comedy competition and development program discovering and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comedy talent; 2026 winner was 'One Silly Ring'.
• Class Clowns National comedy competition for high school students (13-17 years), identifying the next generation of Australian comedic talent; the 2026 Class Clowns national winner was a Melbourne teen, with performances at the festival.
• The Funny Tonne Annual comedy showcase featuring a curated selection of top festival performers in extended-run format.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40th Festival milestone with 26 days of programming
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Creative VictoriacoreOthersGovernment arts funding body and key supporter of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Logo featured in footer as major festival partner.
• City of MelbournecoreOthersLocal government partner and supporter of the festival. Logo featured in footer as major festival partner.
• ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerBroadcast partner for The Gala and festival content. ABC TV and iView logo featured. Moments Matter YouTube playlist partnership.
• Channel NinemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBroadcast partner for festival content including The Big Four Oh! on Channel 10 and 10 Play.
• The AgemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner with logo featured in footer.
• Fox FMmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio partner (Fox) with logo featured in footer.
• TripleM MelbournemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio partner with logo featured in footer.
• ABC Radio MelbournemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio partner with logo featured in footer.
• Secure ParkingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial parking partner offering discounted parking to Comedy Festival ticketholders at selected car parks including 300 Flinders St and 121 Exhibition St.
• ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFestival venue partner and co-presenter of Funny Shorts competition. Venues include Gandel Lab, Swinburne Studio, Cinema 1 and Cinema 2. Partnership includes accessibility features and step-free access.
• .au Domain AdministrationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFunny Shorts competition is proudly supported by .au, Australia's trusted internet domain.
• Max Watt'scoreOthersFestival-managed venue at 125 Swanston Street, Melbourne. Hosts Festival Club late-night programming and other shows. Licensed venue for audiences 18+.
• Trades HallcoreOthersFestival-managed venue at Corner Lygon & Victoria Streets, Carlton. Multiple rooms: Archive Room, Common Rooms Bar, ETU Ballroom, Gadhaba Balit, Meeting Room, Music Room, Quilt Room, Solidarity Hall.
• Comedy Roadshow Partners (Various)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational touring partners bringing festival comedy to regional and rural Australia. Comedy Festival Roadshow is Australia's biggest comedy festival on the road.
• Stand-Up & Supper Restaurant PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDinner package partners including The George on Collins ($84/person), Allegro ($80/person), Robata ($81/person), Hophaus Southbank, and Pastuso.
• TicketekmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal ticketing provider for select festival shows. Contact: 1300 665 915.
• TicketmastermajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal ticketing provider for select festival shows.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/micomfestival
• Facebookfacebook.com/melbournecomedy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/melbourne-international-comedy-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Melbourne International Comedy Festival