MICF 2026: 10 Years of Comedy, Domestic Abuse Survivor, London’s Scandalous Socialite and More

Yes, it’s still 2025, but here’s a sneak peek of next year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival for 2026 and it’s shaping to be big

This year the team are working with Australia’s Favourite Funny Man, Dane Simpson, one of Edinburgh Fringe’s most talked about performers, James Barr, viral sensation and London’s scandalous socialite, Coco The Time-Travelling Tart, making her MICF debut, children’s entertainer turned stripper, Steph Crothers, Queen of Malaysian comedy, Shamaine Othman and the unbelieve-a-bubble, Dr Hubble.

As seen on Have You Been Paying Attention?, Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, Wil Anderson’s Question Everything, Celebrity Letters & Numbers, and many more, Dane Simpson (AKA The King of Wagga) is bringing together all of Australia’s favourite jokes into one hilarious show, 100% Hits, celebrating 10 years of comedy.

James Barr has delighted audiences with his own brand of outrageous and upbeat comedy on-air, onstage and online. His show is a deeply personal journey through his experience as a survivor of domestic violence, taking the audience on an emotional rollercoaster exploring the impact of abuse.

With 30M+ views, 180K followers across socials, Coco: The Time-Travelling Tart is finally making her Australian debut. A glitter-soaked cocktail of comedy, history and debauchery serving glamour and sass across the cultural sector. Performed by Max Norman

Former Bachelor contestant, Steph Crothers is stepping out of reality TV and onto the Melbourne Comedy Festival stage with her debut solo hour, Daddy Daycare – a bold, risqué clowning show that uses nostalgia and satire to shine a light on male entitlement. Steph spent years working as both a children’s entertainer and a stripper, experiences that have shaped her unique comedic voice.

The one and only, Shamaine Othman is set to make her Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut with a brand-new hour exploring modern womanhood, cultural confusion, faith, family, and the joys (and disasters) of dating in your 40s. Warm, bold, and unapologetically honest, this new hour from one of the Queens of Malaysian comedy explores feminism, multiculturalism, relationships and navigating cultural contradictions.

Last but not least, after selling out two massive shows at Hamer Hall, Shep Huntly is bringing Dr Hubble’s Brilliant Bubbles to Melbourne. A fun, funny and (slightly) educational show for the whole family. Dr Hubble will amaze with bubbles you have never seen before – the square bubble, the bubble carousel, the chimney bubble, the explode-a-bubble, bubbles-inside-bubbles, and bubbles so big you could fit somebody inside them (and someone will get inside them).