Comedy Fest – Winter Special To Bring Three Nights Of Laughs To Auckland’s Waterfront

After an electric NZ International Comedy Festival, which drew nearly 70,000 attendees out to enjoy live comedy, organisers knew that Tāmaki Makaurau was thirsty for more!

The Festival is delighted to announce a trio of comedy specials guaranteed to warm up winter at the ASB Waterfront Theatre with Chris Parker, Kura Forrester, and Best Comedy Show on Earth hosted by Tom Sainsbury, for a three-night Comedy Festival – Winter Special.

Kiwi comedians emerged as the true stars of the 2024 festival, delighting 75% of audiences with hundreds of performances from Aotearoa’s most talented comedic stars. The Comedy Festival is extending this love affair with locals by showcasing established and emerging comics from the festival programme on the big stage for the ultimate weekend of laughs. The Comedy Festival isn’t just for laughs either. In a Festival survey, 97% of audiences said they felt that comedy positively impacts their wellbeing, with one audience member saying “Comedy is the antidote to the stresses of everyday life. It heals the soul.”

First on the line up is Best Comedy Show on Earth, featuring 10 comedians, hundreds of jokes, and thousands of laughs, taking place on Thursday 22 August. Hosted by everyone's favourite boomer dad/Judith Collins impersonator Tom Sainsbury and featuring Celebrity Treasure Island’s Courtney Dawson and lord of chaos David Correos, our favourite American Wilson Dixon, Taskmaster NZ star Angella Dravid, Kid Sister’s Bailey Poching, Jack Ansett, Lesa McLeod Whiting, Hoani Hotene, and Alayne Dick! 

On Friday night, it’s the people’s princess himself, and the 2024 Best Foods Comedy Gala host, Chris Parker in his incredible new show Give Me One Good Reason Why I Shouldn't Throw My Phone Off This Bridge - Encore! Winner of the inaugural Topp Prize in 2022, Chris holds a Fred Award, a Celebrity Treasure Island NZ win, has authored a book, and hosts a podcast - he’s really done it all.

Chris owes a lot to his phone. Posting impressions of his mum buying him school shoes and felting woodland creatures has made him a household name and led to a bidding war to immortalise him at the Auckland Museum. But while things seem rosy, the truth is they’ve been rocky for a while… after he was served up a sponsored post for 'exercise shorts with a built-in jockstrap', Chris is starting to wonder if his phone really knew him at all.

On Saturday night, local legend Kura Forrester, Billy T Winner, Taskmaster NZ and Shortland Street alum, hits the stage in a performance of her critically acclaimed show, Here If You Need, an audience favourite from the 2023 Comedy Festival.

Kura will explore everything, including having your local mall in your Pepeha, navigating unhelpful friends in the group chat, being sort of recognised in the supermarket, and celebrating your ‘organiser’ friend! This brilliant show is the perfect reason to get out of the house during these cold winter nights and head down to Tāmaki Makaurau’s stunning waterfront.

Join three days of laughs in Auckland at the Comedy Festival - Winter Special at ASB Waterfront Theatre.

The New Zealand Comedy Trust will film the shows as part of an initiative to support the creation of more incredible comedy content showcasing Aotearoa voices for audiences worldwide. The Trust’s vision is to champion the craft of comedy so that everyone can share a laugh.

Annie Dundas, Director Destination Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, says the festival plays an important role in establishing Auckland as a vibrant year-round destination. “We’re delighted to support this local extension to the highly successful NZ International Comedy Festival, as part of our winter programme for Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Comedy Fest Winter Special is a superb platform to showcase our top comedy talent and give audiences an opportunity to experience some of Aotearoa’s funniest and most unique storytelling.”

Huge thanks to Tātaki Auckland Unlimited for their support and for giving everyone a chance to celebrate how great this city is in winter!

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