Almost 800,000 people attended

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival has released official figures about its 40th anniversary year.

The 2026 festival – which ran for three-and-a-half weeks from March 25 –  welcomed 796,975 attendees, a 13 per cent increase on last year.

It generated a record AU$26.6million (£13.75million) at the box office – an impressive 16 per cent increase on 2025. 

Across 26 days, audiences enjoyed 9,164 performances from a programme of 803 shows and events. That included a total of 124 free performances, almost three times as many as the previous years. Otherwise, the average ticket price was AU$38.20 (£28.22).

This was the last festival under director Susan Provan, pictured, who has led the event since 1994.

She said: ‘This festival has always been about building audiences for artists who devote their lives and their bank balances to creating new work and delivering the best contemporary comedy to enthusiastic audiences. 

‘While the 2026 Festival has seen strong numbers, it’s important to recognise that the costs of creating and delivering live comedy, like any artform, have escalated enormously in recent years, resulting in a smaller percentage of every ticket sale finding its way to an artist’s pocket.’

Because of that, she called for more support from the federal and Victorian state governments.

She said: ‘Our participant creative teams, performers and producers are the largest risk-takers and investors in the comedy festival. The support of government in providing a stable foundation for our event is more important than ever and repaid ten-fold in jobs and a positive economic impact on Victoria’s economy.

‘It has been the privilege of my career to work with the comedy community who make this festival the one-of-a-kind creative beacon that it is.’

Beyond live audiences, with comedy from the 40th festival was broadcast to millions through television specials.

The 2027 festival will run from Wednesday March 24 to Sunday April 18.

Published: 16 Jul 2026