The Sydney Comedy Festival is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary by unleashing a bigger program than the city has ever seen before in 2025 (running from April 21 to May 18). So, with more than 350 funny folks from near and far hopping up on stages across the city, where do you get started? Right here. I’ve teased out a list of the acts that I’m most excited about down below (from Local Legends to International Icons).
Another top tip is to check out a Sydney Comedy Festival Gala or a Best of The Fest showcase, where you’ll be introduced to a mixed lineup of a dozen or more acts in one go (usually including some big names!) who will all have their own solo shows too. This year, we’re also keen on the brand-new Comedy Bar Crawl that will come to life amongst the top-notch bars in the YCK Laneways precinct in the CBD. Led by a host, you can join a group of punters and take a chance on a surprise line-up in surprise venues, moving from bar-to-bar for each comedy set.
LOCAL LEGENDS TO SEE AT SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL
Reuben Kaye – The Party’s Over
From cancellation to resurrection, we will always worship at the altar of this razor-tongued prince whenever he crawls out of the Kaye Hole. Taking time out from his musical theatre debut in Jesus Christ Superstar, join Reuben Kaye and his band for a hilarious set of new songs and musings on the state of the world, with a sprinkling of his greatest hits reimagined for 2025.
When & Where: April 24. Enmore Theatre, Newtown. $54.90. Book here.
Ruby Teys – Cheryl Vinyl: Coober Pedy’s Last Show Girl
Sydney’s own Ruby Teys is a rare talent who’s difficult to define. Imagine that Amy Taylor from Amyl and the Sniffers made a baby with an old school drag queen, and you’re sort of getting there. With her new character, true blue showgirl Cheryl Vinyl, her personal brand of “Australiana tropicana psychological sh*tstorm” gets turned up to the max, with a giant prawn cocktail costume, to boot! Coober Pedy’s Last Show Girl has been delighting audiences in Adelaide and Melbourne, and now it's finally our turn to get the full story, straight from the prawn’s lips.
When & Where: May 7–11. Factory Theatre, Marrickville. $27-$30. Book here.
Thalia Joan – Dear Future Memoir
A true “artiste in oversharing”, Thalia Joan has had us screaming with laughter over the all-too-relateable chaos of her personal stories ever since she busted onto the comedy scene in 2021, and this “queen of the high-functioning unhinged” hasn’t let us down since. Following her nomination for Best in Comedy at Sydney Fringe Festival 2024, she’s back with a suitcase full of stories from her recent fever dream of a trip to the United States (where, spoiler alert, her suitcase never actually joined her). Is it time for Thalia to actually start listening to her therapist, and stop using a hypothetical future memoir to justify all of her poor decisions? Let’s find out.
When & Where: May 10–11. Factory Theatre, Marrickville. $35. Book here.
Chris Ryan – Extreme Tenant
The queen of deadpan quips about the absurdities of everyday life (and cool haircuts) is back with a new hour of droll zingers, and we’re bloody delighted about it. If you feel like the right response to a wrong world is to scroll marketplace until you’re dead, and that skincare routines can indeed be spiritual, then this is the show for you.
When & Where: May 15–18. Enmore Theatre, Newtown. $30-$32. Book here.
Brown Women Comedy
No topic is out of the question at this travelling comedy room, where a line-up of bold and besharam (shameless) Indian and South Asian Australian comedians spill the chai. After a string of sold-out shows across Melbourne and Adelaide, this gang of bad-ass women is back in Sydney with all the taboo-breaking vibes that had our critic dishing out a four-star review.
When & Where: April 22-25. Riverside Theatres, Parramatta. $49. Book here. / April 26. Comedy Store, Moore Park. $49. Book here.
The Bear Pack
If you think that you hate improv, you just haven’t seen The Bear Pack. Master improvisers Steen Raskopoulos (The Office AU) and Carlo Ritchie (Thank God You’re Here) have gained a cult following with this thrilling double act, which our critic describes as “the most joyfully exhilarating, spiritually euphoric and creatively hilarious comedy show I have ever seen. It’s like if your imagination had an hour-long orgasm.”
When & Where: April 25, April 27 & May 1. Factory Theatre, Marrickville. $30-$35. Book here.
Broden Kelly – Yabusele
The Aunty Donna boys are the unhinged darlings of Aussie comedy at this point, but now we have a rare chance to see Broden Kelly breaking off from the famous trio and doing his own thing. He’s remaining pretty tight-lipped about what’s in store for this solo show, but there are content warnings for “swearing” and “cool stuff”.
When & Where: May 3. The Joan, Penrith. $32.50. Book here. / May 10. Factory Theatre, Marrickville. SOLD OUT. Wait list here.
Hot Department
Australia’s most deranged, hilarious, and confusingly-erotic duo is back with a brand-new night of unhinged sketch comedy. They describe themselves as “kinda like if a gay Brazilian Man met a shrill, white woman” – and we’d say that’s pretty spot on, actually.
When & Where: May 15. Factory Theatre, Marrickville. $29.90-$34.90. Book here.
He Huang – White Man’s Burden
After winning Best Newcomer at the 2023 Sydney Comedy Festival and being praised by Time Out for her “sharp wit with a deceptively laid-back style that’s as dry as the desert”, self-described “unmarried Chinese daughter” He Huang is back with a brand new show, and she’s putting her best foot forward and stepping out in a suit and tie as her best self: a white man.
When & Where: May 15. Bondi Pavilion, Bondi. $35-$38. Book here. / May 16. Factory Theatre, Marrickville. $35-$38. Book here. / May 17. Concourse Chatswood. Book here.
Jess Fuchs – Sex Jokes For Women
After a smash hit run in Melbourne, Jess Fuchs is back in Sydney and she’s ready to talk about sex! Expect razor-sharp crowd work, playful observations and over-sharing in this show custom made for “girls, gays, theys, and straight men ready to laugh”.
When & Where: May 15–16. Bondi Pavilion, Bondi. $24-$28. Book here. / May 17. Enmore Theatre, Newtown. $28. Book here.
INTERNATIONAL ICONS TO SEE AT SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL
Daniel Sloss & Friends
Sydney Comedy Festival’s first ever ‘One Night Stand’ is bringing none other than the Scottish bad boy of comedy Daniel Sloss to town (with some friends). This one night only performance at the Sydney Opera House marks the first of what will be an annual event that brings international comedy heavyweights to Sydney for exclusive Australian shows. (That’s right, he’s not even going to MICF this year!)
When & Where: April 24. Sydney Opera House. $79-$119. Book here.
Elf Lyons – Horses
This show is the most fun that you can have watching a gangly British woman impersonate a horse for an hour. Seriously – you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll question everything. It truly must be seen to be understood. More than comedy, Elf Lyons’ Horses is a moving experience through the art of theatre, mime and clowning – all direct from the horse's mouth.
When & Where: April 23–27. Factory Theatre, Marrickville. $32.50-$35. Book here.
Sofie Hagen – Banglord
You might know Danish comedian and fat acceptance campaigner Sofie Hagen from the various podcasts she has hosted and co-hosted, or you might know her from the runaway success of her books Happy Fat – Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You and Will I Ever Have Sex Again? If you have been charmed by Sofie’s writing and airway quips, then you will not want to miss out on her Sydney Comedy Festival debut.
When & Where: April 25–27. Factory Theatre, Marrickville. $38. Book here.
Rhys Darby – The Legend Returns
In a world full of AI and Robot tech, can a simple dad with slightly tight jeans stay relevant? If it’s Kiwi icon Rhys Darby, we’re willing to bet on yes. If Darby has charmed the pants off you with his performances in shows like Flight of the Concords and Our Flag Means Death, then you will not want to miss this brand new hour of comedy.
When & Where: April 24–25. Enmore Theatre, Newtown. $71.30. Book here.
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