Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the third largest international comedy festival in the world. It is also the largest cultural event in Australia. Held in Melbourne, Victoria, it takes place annually over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool’s day.
The Melbourne Town Hall has served as the festival hub since the early 1990s but performances are held in venues throughtout the city.
Hundreds of local and international artist perform at the festival. In 2010, its program listed over 360 shows.
The Festival produces three flagship development programs:
- Raw Comedy – Australia’s biggest open mic competition.
- Class Clowns – a national comedy competition for high school students.
- Deadly Funny – a comedy competition that celebrates the unique humor of indigenous Australians.
The Festival also undertakes an annual national roadshow, showcasing highlights from festival across the Australian regional towns.
History
The festival was launched in 1987 at a media conference hosted by Barry Humphries and Peter Cook. The idea of festival originated in early 1980s. In 1986, John Pinder persuaded the Victorian Tourism Commission to fund an overseas trip to visit other international comedy festivals and investigate the possibility of holding such festival in Melbourne. Pinder was convinced that it would work and the following year, the first annual Melbourne Comedy Festival launched.
Traditionally, the festival would open on or around April Fool’s Day though it now generally begins in mid to late March and runs for approximately four weeks.
In 1987, festival’s first week, it featured 56 separate shows. By 1999, the list had grown to 120 shows and some 350000 patrons attended it. In 2010, it played host to a record 369 shows and 4947 performers. Over 508000 people attended it and the revenue was a record A$ 10.9 million.
These feats place it as Australia’s largest cultural event.
Special Events
In addition to over 200 nightly shows which play during the festival, there are a number of special one-off events.
Comedy Festival Gala: The best know special event is the Comedy Festival Gala, the opening night Super Show, which showcases acts short acts from many headline and award winning comedians. It has become know as the festival’s flagship event and typically sells out weeks in advance.
The Great Debate: It has been an annual event since 1989 and has been televised regularly. It features two teams of comedians facing off loosely in the structure of a formal debate over humorous topics.
The Upfront: Produced since 1994, it is a night exclusively featuring female comedians and it routinely sells out.
Awards
Each year, MICF ends run by recognizing the most outstanding shows and performers with a series of awards. The most prestigious is the Barry Award. Other awards include Piece of Wood Award and Best Newcomer Award.