They say Canberrans are a dry bunch (who they is I’m a bit unsure), who work in public service and just don’t know how to have a good laugh. And yet we have a whole festival dedicated at making us laugh. Perhaps it’s our way of forgetting that we live in a city that we love and is very much misunderstood by the rest of the country.
Whatever the reason, for this Canberran at least, I’m glad the Canberra Comedy Festival is back this March, ready to bring a smile to your (my) life.
Because we don’t pretend to know what your comedy style is, we’ve put together our top picks for the 2018 comedy festival for any type of sense of humour.
Canberra Comedy Festival Opening Night Gala (and Encore)
Kicking off the festival is the opening night gala on the 20th of March; so popular a show that they had to do an encore for all the Canberrans that missed out on tickets for their first show. A line up of the best comedy acts in the festival, this is a dégustation of what you should expect of the full festival.
When: 20th March 2018 at 7PM and 7:30PM
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre – both Canberra Theatre (7PM) and The Playhouse (7:30PM)
Tickets: from $79.00 (a $4.95 transaction fee is applicable per transaction)
Raw comedy – ACT State Final
If you really want to be able to say ‘I was there when it all began‘, then you must go to the RAW comedy state final (purely because the heats have already happened and the crème-de-la-crème has been picked to go through). This is where local talent put their comedic skills to the test and where careers in the comedy industry could be made. The winner of the ACT final will go to represent and compete against other state finalists at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
You’ll see me there to cheer on local standout Idris Stanton as he takes on the stage.
When: 22nd March 2018 at 8:30PM
Where: The Street Theatre, Street 1
Tickets: from $22.50 (a $4 transaction fee is applicable per transaction)
The Festival Club
Just in case you’ve not had your fill of laughter, the festival will take over the Canberra Theatre forecourt every night of the festival and organised drinks and food (available for purchase) to either start your night from 5PM or keep you going all the way through. Then; on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights you just head over to the Courtyard Studio around the corner and by showing your ticket (to any other CCF show) at the door you gain free access to an exclusive 10:30PM show where you never know who might show up to keep you entertained, or what might happen.
When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10:30PM
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre – Courtyard Studio
Tickets: Free entry on presentation of any CCF 2018 Show ticket (or $10 if there is any room left)
In addition to the shows above there are a few favourites this year who return to make us wish we’d had a few drinks less as we grapple between staying in our seats and emptying out bladders so that we don’t have any awkward moments at interval. Make sure you check the full program by downloading the comedy festival app or by visiting their website.
What you need to know:
- The Canberra Comedy Festival runs every night across 6 venues and 9 rooms from the 19th until the 25th of March 2018.
- The Festival Square is located at the Canberra Theatre Centre forecourt and runs from 5PM till late.
- Download the Canberra Comedy Festival app (available for iPhone and Android) to keep up to date with news, schedules, partners and social in general. The full line up and tickets can be found at www.canberracomedyfestival.com.au otherwise.
- Prices range from $20 to $89 (plus applicable transaction fees)
- Use #CBRcomedy on social to share your favourites shows and events