The Festival was started back in 1993 at the Watershed Theatre in Auckland, with 'three weeks of open slather comedy'. You might recognise some of these names from the first couple of years; The Topp Twins; Corbett Brothers (Jeremy & Nigel); Facial DBX (made up of Jon Bridges, Paul Horan, David Downs, Paul Yates, Dave Horn, Alan Brough); Kevin Smith & Peter Rowsthorn (Kath & Kim), Brendhan Lovegrove, Te Radar, Sugar & Spice, Cal Wilson and Ewen Gilmour.
Some of the first international comedians performing in the early years included Alan Davies, Simon Pegg, Bill Bailey, Lano and Woodley, Rich Hall and Ardal O’Hanlan.
Audiences loved it and the Festival grew and grew into the massive annual event that it is today! Every year, for three weeks in Auckland and Wellington as well as regional touring around the rest of the country, we're proud to bring the laughs to Aotearoa.
This year, the NZ International Comedy Festival runs from the 26th April - 20th May. The Festival is not only a hugely popular event, but also an extremely accessible one. With comedy performances ranging from stand up, sketch, improv, theatre, children's and musical comedy the Comedy Festival provides something for everyone to laugh at!