Brisbane likes to laugh. In 2024, when Brisbane Comedy Festival hosted 400 shows, more than 82,000 tickets were sold. The annual chucklefest broke records as a result, a feat that it'll be hoping to repeat when 2025's event gets the city giggling. Set to be on hand to help: Rhys Darby, Ross Noble, Nazeem Hussain, Melanie Bracewell, Jimeoin, Ray O'Leary, Luke Heggie, Becky Lucas, Bron Lewis and Sh!t-faced Shakespeare doing A Midsummer Night's Dream. 2025's BCF will mark the festival's 16th edition, taking place across Wednesday, April 23–Sunday, May 25 at Brisbane Powerhouse, The Tivoli, Fortitude Music Hall and The Princess Theatre. The event drops its lineup in stages, so the just-announced names will have plenty of company — but the program is already off to a cracking start. Chris Parker, Guy Montgomery, Guy Williams, Laurence Mooney and Schalk Bezuidenhout are also on the bill so far, as is the annual Brisbane Comedy Festival Opening Gala. The latter will head to Fortitude Music Hall to kick off the fest will a bunch of comedians, featuring both Australian and international talents — with who'll be taking to the stage yet to be revealed. If you're new to Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, its name is as descriptive as it sounds, with one member of the troupe completely sloshed at each performance. "Our 2025 Festival is set to delight Brisbane comedy fans; this first announcement is just a taste of what's to come. Following 2024 being so well-attended, we've got a long list of amazing international, Australian and local artists and shows on the cards," said Brisbane Comedy Festival Director Phoebe Meredith, unveiling the initial lineup details. In past years, BCF has added more acts around a month after its first announcement, so watch this space to find out who else will be tickling your funny bone in 2025. The 2025 Brisbane Comedy Festival will take place across Wednesday, April 23–Sunday, May 25. For further details and tickets — with the first shows on sale from 10am AEST on Thursday, November 14 — head to the festival's website.