If laughter really is the best medicine, then Brisbane Comedy Festival is a booster shot of pure, concentrated hilarity injected straight into your hypothalamus – the part of your brain that plays a key role in the production of loud, uncontrollable chortling, guffawing and crying with laughter.
But you don’t have to know about the socio-historical origins of why we laugh (laughter is a social vocalisation that binds people together in stressful situations, according to Psychology Today) or have studied the documented health benefits of laughing together (a good laugh stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles by enhancing your intake of oxygen-rich air, activates but then relieves your stress levels, and helps reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress by decreasing your heart rate and blood pressure, according to the Mayo Clinic) to know that an hour or two of hilarity is genuinely good for you.
Sometimes, the best study you can do is as simple as perusing a festival program or guide – such as the program for the Brisbane Comedy Festival 2025.
Running from 23 April to 25 May, this year’s Festival takes place over Brisbane Powerhouse, The Tivoli, Fortitude Music Hall and The Princess Theatre – and is being billed as the biggest, boldest and funniest instalment of the Festival to date.
Nor is it a festival of stand-up comedy alone, with the 2025 program embracing everything from interactive performances to improv, kids and family entertainment – even wine tasting.
Brisbane Comedy Festival Director, Phoebe Meredith, says there are more than 130 shows in this year’s program, covering everything from incisive and topical stand-up and unpredictable and entertaining sketch and musical comedy, to a strong – in fact, outstanding – alley, mutiny, pratfall or trunkload of clowns (and yes, these are all officially accepted collective nouns for clowns, before you ask).
“The rise of the clown for me brings an extra layer of theatricality and commitment to silliness that I know our audience will really enjoy,” says Meredith of this year’s Brisbane Comedy Festival.
“As always, we have a few viral sensations making the leap from your phone screen to the stage [and] international icons, people you see on the telly and hear on the radio, as well as a pack of up-and-comers ready to make you LOL. No matter your taste in comedy, there’s something for everyone.”
Take the stress out of perusing the program
Every year, ArtsHub hears the same concern from punters – that looking through festival programs in order to select a few shows that will entertain both you and a diverse group of friends, is no laughing matter – it’s stressful and overwhelming, with people paralysed by indecision by the number of shows on offer.
This year, we’ve made things easier for you by selecting a few outstanding shows already reviewed by our team of intrepid writers at this year’s Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
We also recommend catching Brisbane locals Matt Okine, Ben Hunter and social media sensation Anisa Nandaula, and rising stars of comedy Jordan Barr (who has opened for the likes of Hannah Gadsby), Fady Kassab dishing on his Fady Issues and Stuart Daulman with a treasure trove of new material and timeless classics.
There’s also the musical comedy of award-winning identical twin duo The Stevenson Experience, and Harry Jun’s Friendship Safari, an expedition into the highs and lows of companionship.
Read: Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2025 – top picks
All of the shows following already have the ArtsHub seal of approval (it’s like a performing seal but less exploitative), so now, all you have to do is pin down a night that works for you and your mates, then book away. What are you waiting for?
Garry Starr – Complete Penguins, Underground Theatre
Brilliant, in-your-face clowning that leans heavily into the concept of enthusiastic consent.
Read our five-star review.
Elf Lyons: Horses, Underground Theatre
Elf Lyons is definitely horsing around, but beneath the guise of a woman pretending to be a horse is a reflection on growing up, losing innocence and forgetting the joy of play.
Read our 4.5-star review.
Danny Bhoy, Dear World…, Powerhouse Theatre
A quarter of a century later, Danny Bhoy has certainly honed his craft.
Read our 4-star review.
Mark Watson: Before It Overtakes Us, Underground Theatre
If you like humour that stop-starts, is convoluted and not straight-lined with an identifiable end, Watson is your man.
Read our 4-star review.
Nazeem Hussain: You Paid for This, The Tivoli
The Sri Lankan-Australian social media and TV star delivers the provocative goods.
Read our 4-star review.
Zoë Coombs Marr: The Splash Zone, Fairfax Studio, Powerhouse
Bemused (horrified) by the current geopolitical landscape, the always sharp Coombs Marr wants us all to keep talking to each other.
Read our 3.5-star review.
Brisbane Comedy Festival 2025 runs from 23 April to 25 May at Brisbane Powerhouse, The Tivoli, Fortitude Music Hall and The Princess Theatre.
