The New Zealand Comedy Trust are over the moon to announce the return of the 2023 NZ International Comedy Festival in all its glory, from 5 – 28 May. Opening three jam-packed weeks of unmissable comedy is the jewel in the crown of the Festival, the Best Foods Comedy Gala – hosted by the multi-award winning and multi-talented Melanie Bracewell. Next year’s Gala will be a doozy as the much-loved Comedy Festival celebrates their 30th birthday, and international comedians return to the line-up for the first time since 2019.
Both Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland and Pōneke/Wellington will get treated to a raft of comedy delights on Friday 5 May at The Civic (Auckland Live) and Saturday 6 May at Michael Fowler Centre. After two sold-out shows in 2022, the Best Foods Comedy Gala is set to get even bigger with an all-star bill sampling some of the best local and international comedy acts right now. The full line-up will be announced in early 2023.
A comedy force to be reckoned with, Melanie Bracewell is fast becoming an icon in Aotearoa and Australia (nominated this year for Best New Talent at Australia’s prestigious TV Week Logie Awards). After performing three times in the Best Foods Comedy Gala, she’s finally taking up the coveted host spot. Making audiences laugh on screen and in the writer’s room, her credits include Have You Been Paying Attention in Aotearoa and Australia, The Project, 7 Days, The Cheap Seats in Australia, and Wellington Paranormal, which won her Best Script: Comedy at the New Zealand Television Awards in 2021.
Melanie’s had numerous sold-out stand-up shows, hosted on Radio Hauraki, opened for Nora Jones and gone viral countless times – her Tweets have ended up on the likes of Playboy and The New York Times, and her social media impersonations of Jacinda Ardern received international attention. With countless awards under her belt, including The New Zealand Comedy Trust’s famous Billy T Award in 2018, she’ll be bringing her signature style of hilarious and relatable comedy to the biggest hosting gig in Aotearoa.
As always, Aotearoa’s star-studded night of comedy will be filmed exclusively for THREE, so the rest of the country can get a piece of the action.
The 2023 NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo runs from 5 – 28 May, with the full programme to be announced in March 2023.
Event: The NZ Comedy Festival returns – May 2023
