20 Oct 2026
Just For Laughs: THE FULL 2026 LINEUP IS HERE!
Just For Laughs Sydney Comedy Festival is just weeks away, and the final wave of laughs has landed. Joining previously announced headliners GABRIEL IGLESIAS, GREG DAVIES, MORGAN JAY, DAN AND PHIL, BILL BAILEY, ADAM KAY, DARA O'BRIAIN, SAANIYA ABBAS, LUCAS ZELNICK, DAVID NIHILL, RHYS JAMES, PETER ANTONIOU, ROCKWIZ ROCKS XMAS WITH JULIA ZEMIRO AND BRIAN NANKERVIS and MING YUE, this is the biggest drop of the festival yet.
This final announcement brings back last year’s sell out sensations Women Aren’t Funny, which sold out four shows, and The Alternative Show, and stacks the calendar with brand new showcases, including the Asia Comedy Showcase hosted by Michael Hing, Aboriginal Comedy Allstars and Reuben Kaye’s Big Gay Show, alongside podcasts and one night only specials featuring some of the biggest names in comedy from Australia and around the world. The festival’s crown jewel is back, and it sells out every year.
The Just For Laughs All-Star Gala, hosted by Melanie Bracewell and Tim McDonald, packs Geraldine Hickey, Tom Cardy, Anisa Nandaula, David Nihill, Denise Scott, Rhys James and Matt Okine onto one Concert Hall stage on Saturday 21 November.
Sydney Opera House ticket offers: book any 2 showcases for a combined $70, choosing from The Alternative Show, Reuben Kaye's Big Gay Show, Aboriginal Comedy Allstars and Asia Comedy Showcase. Or book the Just For Laughs All-Star Gala, then add a Studio showcase, including The Alternative Show and Asia Comedy Showcase, for just $35. Both offers are available at checkout at justforlaughs.sydney.
JUST FOR LAUGHS ALL STAR GALA HOSTED BY MELANIE BRACEWELL AND TIM MCDONALD
Featuring Geraldine Hickey, Tom Cardy, Anisa Nandaula, David Nihill, Denise Scott, Rhys James and Matt Okine
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House | Saturday 21 November
The festival's undisputed crown jewel is back, and it sells out every single year without fail. The Just For Laughs All-Star Gala returns to the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall for one unforgettable night of world class comedy, hosted by Melanie Bracewell and Tim McDonald, the duo behind Network 10's hit The Cheap Seats. Bracewell is the award winning New Zealand comedian, writer and Taskmaster NZ champion known for her quick, deadpan takes on the week's news. McDonald is the Australian comedian, broadcaster and Have You Been Paying Attention? regular whose easy charm and impeccable timing make him one of the most in demand hosts working today. They are joined on stage by a stacked lineup of some of the best in the business: Geraldine Hickey, Tom Cardy, Anisa Nandaula, David Nihill, Denise Scott, Rhys James and Matt Okine, for one huge night of comedy's biggest names sharing one stage.
ZARNA GARG THE MILLION DOLLAR EXCUSES TOUR
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House | Saturday 21 November
Already selling out four shows in Sydney this year alone, Zarna Garg adds one huge night at the Sydney Opera House, taking the Concert Hall stage for a brand new show. Zarna Garg is the Indian immigrant mother the comedy world did not know it needed, and now cannot get enough of. After going viral with her family comedy videos, Garg released her debut Amazon Prime special, One in a Billion, in 2023, making her the first South Asian woman to have a one hour comedy special on a major platform. She has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Today Show. Honest, original and completely her own, Garg brings The Million Dollar Excuses Tour to Sydney.
JASON LEONG IN LAUGHING MEMORY
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House | Friday 20 November
After losing one of his best friends to cancer, Dr Jason Leong did a very Dr Jason Leong thing to process his grief: he wrote a comedy show about it. Join him for his most personal hour yet, as he navigates loss and love with laughter. Dr Jason Leong is a medical doctor turned comedian, and he never fails to bring that up, unprompted. He has had two Netflix specials, performed at Just For Laughs Montreal in 2022, and won the 7th Annual International Hong Kong Comedy Competition. He tours the world because he loves comedy, and ultimately, money.
WOMEN AREN'T FUNNY HOSTED BY ABBIE CHATFIELD
Playhouse, Sydney Opera House | Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November
Women Aren't Funny takes one of comedy's biggest cliches and hands the microphone to five of the very best in the business, out to prove it wrong one joke at a time. Abbie Chatfield hosts Becky Lucas, Nina Oyama, Steph Broadbridge, Dr Esmé Louise James and Lizzy Hoo as they take over the Playhouse for two nights of 90 minutes of offbeat, unapologetically hilarious comedy. From dry and deadpan to wildly overshared, this is stand up with zero filter.
ASIA COMEDY SHOWCASE HOSTED BY MICHAEL HING
Studio, Sydney Opera House | Thursday 19 and Friday 20 November
Get ready for the Asia Comedy Showcase, bringing together some of the most distinctive comedy voices from across the East and beyond. A star studded evening of stand up, packed with laughter from a genuinely brilliant lineup featuring Ting Lim, Harry Jun, Dilruk Jayasinha, Neel Kolhatkar, Jordan Leung and Annie Louey. From family and identity to dating, ambition, belonging and the everyday absurdities that somehow become universal, this lineup brings wildly different perspectives and no shortage of material.
MID FLIGHT BRAWL WITH NICK CODY AND LUKE HEGGIE
Comedy Store | Friday 13 November
Any tiprat can fly now, and here's what happens when they do. Involving grubs from every walk of life, and generally resulting from a cocktail of alcohol, prescription drugs, being in close proximity to people who are beneath you, and the modern attitude of never, under any circumstances, blaming yourself for the consequences of your actions, Mid Flight Brawl catalogues these incidents, the number of which currently sits at infinity. There will be no surprise special guests. Just Nick Cody (former Triple M coke can slinger) and Luke Heggie (your mate from your city) pouring over the sordid details of sky fights, while using modern technology to help you be a part of history.
ABORIGINAL COMEDY ALLSTARS
Studio, Sydney Opera House | Monday 16 November
Starring Australia's premier First Nations comedians Andy Saunders, Janty Blair, Jay Wymarra, Kevin Kropinyeri, Sean Choolburra and Tarsh Jago. With sell out seasons and five star reviews across Australia, the UK and beyond, the Allstars bring huge belly laughs straight from the heart of the wide brown land. Directed and produced by Wes Snelling.
REUBEN KAYE'S BIG GAY SHOW
Playhouse, Sydney Opera House | Tuesday 10 November
Australian wild child Reuben Kaye is back in Sydney, and he's brought the loudest, proudest and funniest LGBTQIA+ lineup in the country to crash the party. Hosted by the iconic Reuben Kaye, the night features Rhys Nicholson, Michelle Brasier, Cassie Workman, Guneet Kaur, Jordan Barr and Scout Boxall. Girls, gays, theys and everyone in between: this one's a feast.
THE ALTERNATIVE SHOW HOSTED BY DEMI LARDNER
Studio, Sydney Opera House | Thursday 19 November
Get ready for a night of comedy that defies convention. The Alternative Show, hosted by the gloriously unhinged Demi Lardner, brings together a powerhouse lineup of Australia and New Zealand's most offbeat and unpredictable comics: Will Gibb, John Cruckshank, David Correos and Alex Hines. Strange, loose and gleefully absurd, this is comedy taking over the iconic Studio at the Sydney Opera House, and it's going to be weird in all the right ways.
VITTORIO ANGELONE YOU CAN'T SAY NOTHING ANY MORE
City Recital Hall | Thursday 19 November, 7:00pm Factory Theatre | Friday 20 November, 7:00pm & 9:30pm
Studio, Sydney Opera House | Sunday 22 November, 7:00pm & 9:30pm
A classical musician turned sell out comedian, Vittorio Angelone brings a brand new hour, You Can't Say Nothing Any More, to three stages across Sydney. With more than 50 million views online and a show that sold out Edinburgh before the festival had even begun, this is one of the hottest tickets on the program. Catch him at the City Recital Hall, Factory Theatre or the Studio at Sydney Opera House, he will be bringing the laughs to all three.
GIRLS NEXT DOOR: PODCAST LIVE!
Studio, Sydney Opera House | Saturday 21 November, 7:15pm
For the first time ever, sisters Steph and Holly Davey take Girls Next Door off the mic and onto the stage. Two of Australia's most recognisable digital creators bring real stories, sister chaos and advice of varying quality to the Studio for one night only. Expect all the chemistry of the podcast, live, unfiltered and in the room.
JUST FOR LAUGHS SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL 2026 is proudly supported by the NSW Government through Destination NSW, the lead agency for the visitor economy in New South Wales, as the official Strategic Sponsor. Destination NSW is a force behind some of the state's most significant cultural and tourism investments. Established to deliver real economic and social benefits for the people of NSW, Destination NSW backs major events that put Sydney on the world stage, and keep it there.
Its support means more international talent, bigger stages, and a festival that draws visitors from across Australia and around the globe, spending nights, filling seats, and discovering exactly why Sydney is one of the great comedy cities on earth.
Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said, “The NSW Government is proud to support the return of Just For Laughs Sydney, and this year’s stellar lineup will offer locals and visitors unforgettable nights.
“Events like this not only showcase Sydney on the global stage, but also means packed venues and a huge night out for our visitor economy. Sydney doesn’t stop having fun when the sun goes down, and neither do the businesses that rely on it.”
About Destination NSW
Destination NSW is the lead agency for the visitor economy in the NSW Government, its champion and voice. Driving a whole of government approach to growth, Destination NSW is responsible for leading the delivery of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2035 in partnership with government and industry. Destination NSW shapes the sector through strategic research, policy leadership, stakeholder engagement, commercial partnerships, and targeted investment in experiences, business support, marketing and events.
Plan your Sydney visit at sydney.com, the official tourism site for Destination NSW. Tickets available at justforlaughs.sydney