Adelaide Fringe has finished, so attention now turns to Melbourne for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026. This 40th edition will run from 25 March to 19 April across various Melbourne venues, and this year there are 810 shows to choose from. We’ve devoured the program and present to you 34 shows with links to France and the Francophonie at MICF 2026, whether it be artists from France and the Francophonie, shows with a French theme, artists who have attended French clown schools, or shows about wine, you’ll find it all below.
ARTISTS FROM FRANCE & THE FRANCOPHONIE AT MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2026
Leo Filipetti: Australia, mon amour
Read our interview with Leo here
Leo is a Parisian who left home for Australia after meeting his girlfriend in Darwin. After all Australia is the real capital of love and light – at least now that he has arrived from Paris to share his humour.
In the end we all share the same struggles in life. Except when you’re French, it’s twice as hard but c’est la vie. Leo will be sure to complain about it
Whether you’re French, Australian or any other nationality, come share a laugh you’ll never forget.
After the show, he’s always happy to share a piece of camembert and a glass of wine to discuss the meaning of life.
All around the world: International Comedy Showcase
LINK: France listed as one of the countries the artists are from
A revolving lineup of local and international comedians from across the Festival.
Best of European Comedy: Comedians of Europe
LINK: Belgium, France and Luxembourg are listed as countries the artists are from
Comedians of Europe is a collaboration across the best European comedians who perform in English. We have been on Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC, Hulu, as well as sold out shows across the world. Now we are in Australia to give you our jokes… and take your jobs.
Cross Continental Comedy is a multicultural stand-up showcase featuring four of Melbourne’s fastest rising comedians, each bringing their own unique perspectives and lived experiences to the stage, delivering a shared hour of non-stop hilarity!
Also featuring special guests from around the Festival each night!
In 2017, Nadun Hetti was a teenager who had left war-torn Sri Lanka and ended up in Australia. Today, he’s one of Australia’s rising comedy stars, was a RAW Comedy National Finalist and has sold-out shows all over Australia. In this hour Nadun shares his unique origin story – from growing up during the Sri Lankan Civil War to navigating life down under. His humour is raw, relatable and unapologetically bold, delivered with sharp punchlines and a dark twist.
Yeluselemi is a rising French-Congolese comedian who turns culture clashes, migration madness and romantic chaos into pure comedic heat. She started as a poet but quickly realised stand-up means louder laughs fewer tears, and more chances to make Australians laugh every night. Her comedy blends big energy, sharp punchlines and stories that make you rethink your life choices – or at least your dating history. Audiences love her mix of French charm and Congolese attitude, even if Australia absolutely wasn’t ready for it.
Leo is a Parisian who left home for Australia after meeting his girlfriend in Darwin. After all, Australia is the real capital of love and light – at least now that he’s arrived from Paris to share his humour. We all share the same struggles in life, except when you’re French, it’s twice as hard, but c’est la vie. Leo will be sure to complain about it. Whether you’re French, Australian or any other nationality, come share a laugh. After the show, he’s always happy to share camembert and a glass of wine to discuss the meaning of life.
Mort, our Australian representative, is a two-time RAW Comedy State Finalist who has quickly made his mark on the Melbourne comedy scene. He has performed alongside household names across Victoria and at Adelaide and Sydney Fringe festivals, and sold out several shows at his Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut, Snake Eyes in 2025. With an easy-going delivery and coastal drawl from his Sunshine Coast upbringing, the Melbourne-based comic finds the ridiculous in the mundane and the silly in the serious, with a cheerful, considered charm. Littered with whimsical verbiage and nostalgia, Mort’s sharp verbal f#%kery will catch you off guard and get you on board tout de suite.
Together, this lineup delivers big laughs, sharp perspectives and wildly different worldviews colliding on one stage. Fast, funny and full of surprises, this is a night of stand-up comedy that can’t be missed.
SHOWS ABOUT FRANCE AND THE FRANCOPHONIE OR WITH FRENCH CHARACTERS
Read our review of a past edition of Blanc de Blanc Encore here
Step inside the velvet-draped world of Blanc de Blanc at Spiegel Haus Melbourne!
A riotous blend of comedy, circus, cabaret and risqué glamour celebrates the wild and wonderful world of champagne. This adults-only spectacle delivers world-class acrobatics, sultry burlesque and outrageous humour, all set to a pulsing soundtrack of vintage jazz and contemporary beats. From jaw-dropping aerial acts to cheeky champagne-fuelled antics, Blanc de Blanc Encore is a hedonistic night of high-end entertainment that bubbles with energy, sensuality and style.
Direct from international stages and Spiegeltents around the world, this five-star spectacle blends high-end circus, hedonistic cabaret and cheeky burlesque into one unforgettably seductive night. Expect dazzling aerials, daring acrobatics, lavish costumes and irreverent comedy served with a side of Parisian flair. Set inside the stunning Spiegeltent, the atmosphere is immersive and electric – think velvet, mirrors and bubbles everywhere.
Read our review of this must-see show here and our interview with Joshua Hauville here
NOTE: The Friday 10 April and Friday 17 April shows will be entirely in French.
Aussie comedian Joshua Hauville blends stand-up, theatre and clowny burlesque to share his experience of trying to make it, find love and learn French in the p*ss-ridden streets of Paris with no money and a whole lotta dream.
After a Melbourne comedy debut in 2025, the show has toured in Paris, London, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide and is coming in hot for Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026 with a show that is glitzier, grungier and gayer than ever.
Join Joshy as he braves a slew of ridiculous scenarios. Will he triumph over Paris, or will France smoke this f*g just like every other?
Lawrence Mooney: Full Moon Party
LINK: French character Jean Le Camembert
Moonman’s back-and he’s bringing the whole gang! From The Front Bar to Melbourne International Comedy Festival, get ready for a comedy supernova featuring Dr Tyler Wall (AFL Mind Set Coach), French insights from Jean Le Camembert and Port Adelaide’s most tragic and beautiful fan, Gavin Muntberry.
They’re all crashing the Full Moon Party, live and unfiltered. There will be appearances from Malcolm Turnbull, Russell Crowe and a galaxy of other stars. It’s part stand-up, part fever dream, all Moonman.
Come for the laughs, stay for the Full Moon lunacy. Let’s party like it’s 2026!
I know you thought she was dead. Maybe it was when she fell out of a helicopter in Dubai or off a luxury superyacht in the Bahamas and was bitten by a bull shark. Or who could forget the three gunshots to the leg at her daughter Lisa’s wedding? Or the lethal dose of ketamine and the bad salmon in Cincinnati.
But you better believe it takes a little more than that to kill Pussy Willow. She’s like a cat with nine lives, a soup du jour – they may change the flavour, but they can never take her off the menu.
Against all odds, Pussy Willow has survived another year and is now attempting something truly reckless – running a restaurant.
Award-winning comedian and Triple R Breakfaster Nat Harris returns, along with her “low-key iconic character, Pussy Willow” (The Age), with another freewheeling hour of comedy.
Come experience the absurd, experimental and unhinged comedy combinations being served up in Amuse-Bouche.
Expect characters, stories, recipes and meltdowns as big as a chef coming down in a commercial kitchen. She’s got all four burners on high and she’s flying by the seat of her pants. What could go wrong?
Bon appétit, and we really hope to see you there.
LINK : French only in name
You choose the title. We make the musical.
Do you hear the people sing? Sing the song of improvisation! After multiple sold-out festival seasons, Les Improvisé is back for their third Melbourne International Comedy Festival, to make up a musical right before your eyes! Will it be a raunchy romance, an enthralling thriller, a western whodunnit… or maybe all three? Using an audience suggestion for the title of the musical, every single song, dance number and line of dialogue will be completely improvised. You’ll find yourself dancing, laughing and marvelling at the spontaneity, as the performers create everything on the spot. No need to sit through a three-hour long musical – we’ll have you home before bedtime. So grab a date, a mate or even your mum for a perfect night of laughter and fun!
The talented cast includes improvisers from The Improv Conspiracy, Impro Melbourne, The Big HOO-HAA and more, with impressive backgrounds in music theatre, improv and performances on stage and screen.
ARTISTS WHO HAVE TRAINED AT FRENCH CLOWN SCHOOLS AT MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2026
Where it be Lecoq or Gaulier, these artists have done training at these renowned French clown schools.
Abby Wambaugh: The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows
After waking up in the hospital following a late miscarriage, Abby Wambaugh – still high on anesthesia – made an unexpected decision: to become a comedian. Now, in her uniquely goofy and heartfelt hour, Abby shares her 17 best ideas for her first show.
The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows sees Abby exploring her talent for a wide range of comedy styles in this one-person variety show, including potential hits like ‘Old Man Learns Parkour’ and a very long impression of the number nine – a setup that explores gender, pregnancy, loss and creativity, and uncovers a deeper story about the value of beginnings that don’t necessarily have a middle or an end.
Fresh off a four-week NYC Off-Broadway run produced by Jenney Shamash (Hannah Gadsby: Douglas, Something Special, WOOF!), Mike & Carlee Productions (Broadway’s Oh, Mary!) and Ally Engelberg (The Other Two, Just For Us), and sell out runs in LA, London and Edinburgh, Abby Wambaugh brings her critically acclaimed, award-winning show to Melbourne for the first time. Don’t miss it!
Padre Andrea is here to administer a worship service, but his idea of a service is not quite what you expect. While navigating between eccentric prayers and unconventional confessions, you’ll wonder if he knows what he’s doing. Maybe he doesn’t. But one thing he knows: you must repent your sins!
Join his service to be guided on your path to salvation.
From the creator of the award winning Tonight! A clown who wanted to be loved? (★★★★ “A little spa break for the soul”, The List,UK), a new charming, absurd and a little disturbing character that will make you see church in a new light, reflect on its contradictions, and hopefully repent your sins!
Anna Marie & Marie: Naughty Cabaret
After a sold out run at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2025, Naughty Cabaret is coming to Melbourne! A queer feminist extravaganza full of energy, absurdity and ridiculousness.
With an ever-changing lineup of clown, character comedy, boyband, burlesque and more. Previous guest performers include Lara Ricote, Elf Lyons, Siblings, Hannah Camilleri, Mel McGlensey, Lorna Rose Treen, Ria Lina and Gogo Bumhole.
Casey Filips: What a Character
“Oh man, what a character.” – Ancient Australian proverb.
Idiom, used to describe either the best or worst person you know.
Example, “Wow, that Casey Filips is such a character”.
Following his critically-acclaimed debut show Virtuoso, award-winning character comic Casey Filips brings his brand-new hour of comedic characters, sketches and “loveable buffoonery” (Lillithia Reviews) to the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
It won’t be stand-up, but you will be marvelling “oh man, what a character”.
Dolly Diamond & Skank Sinatra: The Performers
LINK: Skank Sinatra has trained at Gaulier.
Melbourne’s most fabulous double act, Dolly Diamond and Skank Sinatra, are teaming up for a cabaret catastrophe of epic proportions and it’s going to be the funniest musical comedy failure you’ve ever seen.
The Performers follows down-on-their-luck cabaret producers Dolly Diamond and Skank Sinatra as they hatch a scheme to save themselves from unpaid Edinburgh Fringe tax bills by producing a surefire flop. But when their “guaranteed disaster” turns out to be a surprise success, chaos, comedy and showtunes ensue.
Expect dazzling costumes, razor-sharp banter, and musical parodies of Broadway’s biggest hits as these two cabaret icons do everything in their power not to succeed.
Diamond: “It has to be a write-off.”
Skank: “Let’s not sell a single ticket.”
Spoiler alert: they’ll still bring the house down.
*This show is not loosely based on any musical, whatsoever.
An electrifying one man show for book worms and guitar nerds!
Pinky von Sox is the unwitting lead character in a series of wildly popular novels by the world-renowned, best-selling, brilliantly-brilliant author David P. Tieck Jr.
Over dozens of novels, Pinky has been an international spy, a big time lawyer, a pool boy and even a romantic lead. But now, Pinky has been thrown into the deepest of dusty holes yet: a live comedy show that has yet to be written! How will he get out of this one?
Fear not! Every night a brand-new novel will be written, performed and narrated live before your very eyes.
The giraffe-limbed icon and Gaulier-trained harlequin Elf Lyons brings her cult classic, critically acclaimed, one-woman punk reimagining of Swan Lake to Australia.
The show involves ballet, violence, wrestling, nudity, an evil owl, magic, 45 bras and a very loose grasp of the French language.
Other than that, it’s a very traditional stand-up comedy show performed by a woman.
Elf Lyons: Woman on the edge (WIP)
“I’m sorry, I’ve said too much… I’m a woman on the edge…”
A very normal love story from award-winning performer Elf Lyons.
Inspired by Vertigo, Sunset Boulevard, a conversation at Bangkok airport and the opera Pagliacci. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Fresh from a sell-out season in London’s West End, Garry Starr is (still) hell-bent on saving books from extinction by performing every Penguin Classic novel ever written. In an hour. Mostly naked (but with flippers).
The comic wunderkind takes us on a literary adventure through the world’s most iconic works of fiction. From The Little Prince to Moby Dick and everything in between, nothing is safe from being lampooned with the utmost nincompoopery.
Jeromaia Detto: Giuseppe’s Game Time Wonder Show
Ciao! My name is Giuseppe. I present a very silly game show with lots of games. It is fun, yes! It is exciting! Indeed! It is also a little bit ooh la la! Of course! It is with lots of funny and jokeful people from the Festival. They will make you laughing. Wow! Fun! Play!
Past guests have Included:
Tom Ballard • Dane Simpson • Tina Del Twist • Hot Department • Mel McGlensey • The Burton Brothers • Oliver Coleman • Sophie Power and many more! Molto bene!
This show will be unhinged, absurd and undeniably cheeky. Strap in for an hour of non stop clowny chaos.
Jeromaia Detto: Giuseppe’s Love Quest
What is love? How does it feel? When does it happen?
From the loins of multi-award-winning comedian, Jeromaia Detto, the disarmingly charming Giuseppe Alfresco is desperate to understand: “What is love?”
He is but a humble Italian beach boy, who has never been in love or loved another. He has never felt it, seen it or known what it is, but, maybe he will finally fall in love.
Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: Live!!!
Here he is! Yorkshire’s biggest bastard is in Melbourne for the very first time!
Join owner and MC of The Misty Moon (a pub that is a portal to hell) for a slap-up feast of laughs, tricks and dirty lager. Can Frankie save showbiz? Can he protect his pub from demonic ruin?? Can you touch his special trowel??? (No Way!).
It’s a solo show. A mockery and celebration of performance. Absurd. Simple. Outrageous. Stupid. Fun. It’s terrible. An important waste of your time. It’s great.
Please strongly consider all of this information before coming.
John Norris is a man whose absurd comedy is singular and oozes mountains of stupidity and silliness. Based out of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, John brings his word-of-mouth cult hit, sold-out, five-star, award-nominated debut show to Melbourne. Also, in 2009, he ate and digested an entire Kia Forte.
Jon has often been described as “the man of a thousand faces”. In his new hour of comedy, he will aim to use all 1,000. In order. And you will love them. All of them. Even the weird and unsettling ones.
Come and enjoy Jon Walpole’s signature mix of stand-up, character sketch, story-telling and improvised clowning – with some cheeky themes snuck in there too (ooooOOooOOooOOooh)!
Yoz Mensch: My Grandpa doesn’t follow me on Instagram: A guide to inter-generational road tripping
Read our interview with Yoz about his previous show No babies in the sauna here
They drove from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands – one grandparent, one grandchild, one unspoken truth.
Multi-award-winning storyteller, Yoz Mensch, weaves a darkly funny and haunting solo show about dingy hotel rooms, dog-eared maps and the strained intimacy of travel.
Drawn from hundreds of real Instagram stories posted during the trip, Yoz revisits what they shared with their grandpa – and the secrets they didn’t.
Blending clowning, found footage and intimate confession, My Grandpa Doesn’t Follow Me On Instagram unravels what it means to hide yourself from the people you love.
Susanna Pukkila: Joni – Play (Like) a Man
A sports comedy about a cheeky hockey player (who might be called Joni), sponsored by internalised misogyny. This ridiculous journey to victory and beyond invites the whole audience to join in.
Expect fake blood, real sweat and a thick Finnish äksent.
Sarah Francis: Psycho or Psychic
Expect playful clowning with soulful stories, ridiculousness, laughing till you cry… it’s unique, rare and beautiful!
You’ll meet character after character in this bold-unhinged-laugh out loud-hour of power!
Come to the brink of madness… Like, have you ever spoken to a dead person?
Luna will take you through true stories of spiritual anomalies…And when ‘true love’ arrives… looking Luna dead in the eyes… the soul’s of the living and dead collide… Is it a curse? A calling? Or just… completely psycho?
Marcel Cole: Smile: The Story of Charlie Chaplin
Read our review of this excellent must-see show
After selling out in Adelaide and Edinburgh in 2025, the award-winning fringe sensation about the life of Charlie Chaplin is coming to Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2026! Winner of The List Edinburgh Festival Award for Best Fringe Show From Adelaide, this is a physical comedy not to be missed.
Max Norman: Coco The Time-Travelling Tart
Read our review of this fantastic show
History is about to get naughty! London’s most scandalous socialite has arrived for her explosive Australian debut – a gloriously unhinged comedy tour through time.
Coco the Time-Travelling Tart invites you on a journey where the past misbehaves, the future looks fabulous and absolutely nothing is safe from her stiletto-clad chaos.
She’s part cultural connoisseur, part champagne enthusiast… and absolutely the wrong woman to trust with the timeline.
Along the way, Coco tackles life’s big questions:
How should a girl dress for battle?
Will the future finally get its act together?
And is Napoleon really worth the hype?
Expect scandalous encounters across the centuries, glamour in reckless abundance, and to learn absolutely nothing useful – while having the time of your life.
Smart, silly, seductive and joyfully unhinged, this show is perfect for culture vultures, comedy addicts, history nerds and anyone who enjoys watching a woman improvise her way out of disaster in heels.
Part stand-up, part storytelling, part fever dream, Coco serves an intoxicating blend of character comedy, cultural mischief and razor-sharp improv. Imagine if The Mighty Boosh, Dr Who, The Rest Is History and Absolutely Fabulous had an orgie.
This is Mel. Mel is normal. But for some reason her comedy shows always end up weird? This time will be different though. This time, she’s letting her audience choose what happens. Come along for a one-of-a-kind collaborative clown experience plumbing the depths of normaldom, as decided by you. Let’s have a normal one folks!
Nikki Britton: Not to be dramatic
Nikki Britton has made being a silly bitch an artform. She has somehow avoided marriage and babies just so she can live an outrageous life and report back to you. With her incomparable storytelling and infectious energy, this will be an hour of rapturous joy from an award winning comedian at the top of her game. If you’re not double fisting champagne with the girlies in the front row of a Nikki Britton show, what are you doing?
Read our review of previous show Furiozo: Man Looking For Trouble here
A brand new work-in-progress solo clown comedy from the award-winning Piotr Sikora, creator of Furiozo: Man Looking For Trouble.
I have a uniform. A suitcase that becomes a horse. Fake snow. This will have to be enough.
Napoleon. The Man in the Iron Mask. The Count of Monte Cristo. The English Patient. If this tells you nothing, it doesn’t matter. Different uniforms, same story. A man trying to hold onto something human underneath.
One Polish clown attempts the most epic adventure story ever told. He carries an orange. A gift from the love of his life. He carries everything except what he actually needs.
Heroic, absurd, melodramatic and stupidly beautiful. Wordless physical comedy from the creator of Furiozo.
SHOWS ABOUT WINE
In Pour Taste : A Comedy Wine Tasting Experience
Read our review of this show here
In an experience that could only be described as goon bag in quantity, champagne in quality, comedians Sweeney Preston and Ethan Cavanagh will be joined by a wine expert as they guide you through five wines and at least five jokes.
Fresh from a residency in Las Vegas, a New York season at the Off-Broadway SoHo Playhouse, a smash-hit month in Toronto, an extended, sell-out season at the Edinburgh Fringe and multiple Australia-wide tours, this masterclass in mischief is finally returning home to Melbourne.
Everyone from worldly wine wankers to clueless chardonnay chuggers will find something to make their glass half full, as all the wine industry’s most hard-hitting questions are answered:
How far should I extend my pinky when sipping? What the f%*k is a tannin? And who’s parked in the clearway out front, you’re about to be towed?
Your ticket includes five wine tastings.
Merrick Watts : An Idiot’s Guide to Wine Volume 3
Read our reviews of the original show and volume 2
Merrick Watts returns to Melbourne International Comedy Festival with a brand-new wine tasting comedy show.
Mez (who, surprisingly, has genuine wine chops and, unsurprisingly, is an idiot) has been busy meticulously “researching” new wines for this latest show. It’s hard work, but someone’s got to do it.
For the uninitiated, An Idiot’s Guide to Wine is a wine tasting unlike any other. Each guest sips six wines, handpicked by Mez, while he dishes out wine facts, food pairing suggestions and jokes about the French.
Previous shows have been performed at arts festivals, wineries, town halls, casinos and New Zealand shopping malls, but The Spiegeltent is the most elegant of them all.
This is the perfect way to spend a Festival afternoon, with great mates, great wines and great comedy.
In Volume 3, expect unexplored varietals, fresh wine regions and new stories. Everything’s new… except the idiot.
Prétentieux vin Branleur: The Brut Truth: A Champagne Comedy Tasting
A comedy show with champagne. A champagne tasting with comedy.
A fast, funny and fizzy ride through the myths, marketing and madness of champagne. Join rogue wine-lover and recovering marketing executive Prétentieux vin Branleur for a blind tasting of five sparkling suspects and discover what’s hype, what’s true and why it still makes us all feel fabulous. Laugh, learn and leave a little smugger than you arrived. And maybe just a bit tipsy.
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KEY INFO FOR MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL 2026
WHAT: Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026
WHEN: 25 March to 19 April
WHERE: Various venues across Melbourne
HOW: Purchase tickets via the links above or peruse the entire program here
HOW MUCH: Ticket prices depend on the show and session chosen.
