Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world and Australia’s largest ticketed cultural event. The Festival sells in excess of 600,000 tickets annually, with an aggregate annual attendance including free performance of more than 770,000 people, boosted by millions more for nationally broadcast Festival programming on TV, radio and digital channels. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival brand is recognised nationally as Australia’s leading comedy organisation and stands proudly as one of Victoria’s big four events alongside the Australian Open, Spring Racing Carnival and the AFL Grand Final Series. Conceived to promote the comedic arts in Australia, Melbourne International Comedy Festival has earned its global reputation through creative, eclectic programming. The organisation is active year-round with national touring, educational and artistic development programs complementing the presentation of the annual four-week festival. The 2023 Festival will take place from 29 March to 24 April.