The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the third-largest comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. This annual event takes place over four weeks in April and usually kicks off on April Fool’s Day (April First). Various performances are held throughout the city of Melbourne with the festival’s main venue being the Melbourne Town Hall.
The MFIC features hundreds of local and international comedians with well over 350 shows. There are also various free shows presented throughout the festival.
The Festival was launched in 1987 by Barry Humphries and Peter Cook. Over 500,000 attend the festival, making it Australia’s largest cultural event – selling more tickets than any other Australian Festival. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world, alongside Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival.