GET SET FOR COMEDY OVERLOAD AS GC LAUGHS FESTIVAL TAKES OVER THE GOLD COAST

Announcement posted by GC Laughs Festival 05 Mar 2024

The Gold Coast is in for a comedy treat as the annual GC Laughs Festival makes its uproarious return to HOTA, Home of the Arts next week from March 15-23.

With a massive line-up of more than 40 comedy events across seven nights, featuring an international act every evening, this year's GC Laughs Festival is set to be unmissable.

Catch comedy sensations Ed Byrne (Ireland), Takashi Wakasugi (Japan), Schalk Bezuidenhout (South Africa), Mickey Bartlett (UK), Ray O'Leary (NZ), Ivan Aristeguieta (South American born), He Huang (China), and Fern Brady (Scotland) as they bring their crowd-favourite comedic skits and entertainment to town.

Kicking off the massive two-weeks of comedy to come is the GC Laughs Launch Party at the Burleigh Brewing Taphouse on Thursday 7 March from 6pm.

Enjoy world-class craft beer, Hail Mary's Mexican and laugh the night away with a taste of the all-star line-up by some of the best local and national comedians coming to this year's festival.

Tickets to this 18+ event are $20 and include a complimentary schooner of Burleigh Brewing beer on entry.

Launch into the laughter-filled festivities and 2024 program with the nearly sold-out GC Laughs Gala on Friday 15 March, where renowned Australian stand-up sensation and TV personality, Rhys Nicholson, will take the reins as host.

Laugh-lovers will get to experience the Gold Coast's biggest night of comedy with a surprise line-up of comedians as they take to the stage showcasing a taste of their upcoming shows and setting the tone for an unforgettable festival.

Nicholson will dazzle audiences with his own solo show, Huge Big Party Congratulations, on Saturday 16 March, making him the first-ever GC Laughs Gala host to also perform their own show at the festival.

Joining Nicholson on Saturday 16 March is a stellar line-up of comedic talent, including Takashi Wakasugi (Japan),Geraldine Hickey (VIC), Alexandra Hudson (NSW), Dusty Rich (QLD), Dave Hughes (VIC), He Huang (China) and Heath Franklin's Chopper (NSW), guaranteeing a Saturday night out packed with belly laughs.

For those seeking mid-week merriment, Wednesday 20 March presents the comedic stylings of Mickey Bartlett (UK), Daniel Muggleton (NSW), and Lawrence Mooney (VIC).

Thursday 21 March will see Dilruk Jayasinha (VIC), Fern Brady (UK), Nazeem Hussain (VIC), Damien Power(NSW), and duo Chris Martin and Taylor Edwards (QLD) with their riotous sketch show, Date Night.

Luke Heggie (NSW) will be bringing two nights of his new show - Grogan - to the festival on Thursday 21 Marchand Friday 22 March, about 'the tribulation of someone staying alive until he's dead'.

Australian actor and comedian Felicity Ward, who is a main star on the upcoming TV show The Office (Australia), will return to home turf for the first time in five years to bring her new hour-long show I'm Exhausting! to life on Friday 22 March.

Also on Friday 22 March, Schalk Bezuidenhout (South Africa) is returning to the Gold Coast to mark his second GC Laughs Festival visit with a brand-new show Keeping Up. The show is all about how Schalk is freshly married and very much feeling older, but can he keep up with the youth?

Alongside Ward, Heggie and Bezuidenhout on Friday 22 March, Sonia Di Iorio (VIC), The Stevenson Experience (UK), Ting Lim (QLD), Bronwyn Kuss (VIC), and Ray O'Leary (NZ) take to the stage.

Eleven comedians will see out GC Laughs Festival on the final night, Saturday 23 March, including The Umbilical Brothers (AU), Ivan Aristeguieta (SA), Sam Taunton (VIC), Ben Kochan (NSW), Tom Cashman (NSW), Mel Buttle (QLD), Tom Walker (VIC), Tommy Little (VIC), Ben Russell (VIC), Danielle Walker (VIC) and Ed Byrne(UK).

Up late and well after dark in HOTA's Basement, Late Laughs is the perfect nightcap. On from 10pm on Saturday 16and 23 March, Late Laughs is a loose line-up of festival favourites and drop-in stars for anybody who likes their comedy a little lude and crazy.

"We're about to kick off the sixth year of the GC Laughs Festival and each year the program keeps on getting greater. The past five years have seen more than 25,000 comedy fans flock to HOTA and this year, with such a massive program, we're expecting that to grow monumentally," GC Laughs Festival Director Josh Armstrong said.

"From next weekend, we're thrilled to have some of the biggest names in comedy from around the country and also international acts from around the world join us right here on the Gold Coast to bring seven nights of laughs across the next two weeks."

"With tickets starting from $20 and such a diverse range of comedic talent and entertainment on offer, there is something for everyone to enjoy."

With a stacked calendar of events by the best in comedy, the GC Laughs Festival 2024 will have audiences in stitches as it delivers a healthy dose of knee-slapping hysterics set to have you giggling for nights on end.

Don't miss the GC Laughs Festival at HOTA, Home of the Arts from March 15-23.

Tickets are on sale now. They can be purchased at www.gclaughs.com.au or via the HOTA Box Office - (07) 5588 4000.

For more information on the festival, visit www.gclaughs.com.au.

2024 EVENT PROGRAM

Thursday 7 March 2024

6:00PM - GC Laughs Launch Party at Burleigh Brewing

Friday 15 March 2024

7:30PM - GC Laughs Comedy Gala

Saturday 16 March 2024

5:30PM - Takashi Wakasugi - Japanese Aussie

6:45PM - Geraldine Hickey - Don't Tease Me About My Gloves

7:00PM - Alexandra Hudson - Making Lemonade