With the laughter-packed extravaganza of Just For Laughs Sydney Comedy Festival returning in November, it’s no surprise that the country will be jam-packed with comedians this month.

Now in its 11th year, the Just For Laughs festival promises to deliver a week-long spectacle of some of the biggest names in comedy and exclusive shows to Sydney Opera House. Among the headliners are comedians Kevin Bridges and Nina Conti.

On November 17th, you can see the very best in the world of comedy on the same stage for one night only. Hosted by Urzila Carlson, the Just For Laughs All-Star Gala will feature Dara Ó Briain, Dilruk Jayasinha, Nina Conti, Tommy Little, Joanne McNally and Russell Kane. 

The festival runs from 12th to 20th November with some of the biggest and best comedy at Sydney Opera House. 

Quick-thinking queen of ventriloquism and British Comedy Award winner Nina Conti will take to the stage on November 20th and 21st.

As well as his appearance at Just For Laughs, Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges, pictured, is thrilled to be touring Australia in November.

With most shows now sold out, you’ll have to be quick to nab a ticket though.

The tour starts in New Zealand on November 7th before arriving in Melbourne on November 14th and visiting Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth.

Likewise, Dara Ó Briain is thrilled to bring his award-winning show, ‘So… Where were we?” to Australia and New Zealand.

“So… Where were we?” has all the elements of the shows that made Dara one of the leading international stand-ups and one of Ireland’s finest comedy exports for more than 20 years.

The tour begins in Perth on November 12th, and visits Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane before visiting New Zealand. 

Leigh Francis, the Leeds comedian whose characters and sketches have kept millions of people around the UK laughing for years, will visit Australia this month. 

Making an exclusive Australian appearance, Leigh Francis will be performing on both days of the Comedy in the Vines festival at Hide & Seek Winery, Nagambie Lakes, Victoria, on November 11th and 12th. 

Joining Leigh at Comedy in the Vines will be Essex comedian Russell Kane.

Russell has taken home the gong for The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award, and now he is returning to Australia with the smash tour The English Variant.

The show has been hailed by The Guardian as the number one comedy performance to come out of 2020, and about what happened to us all that year. 

Russell brings nuclear-energy belly laughs and pant-wetting observations, which prove that laughter is the best medicine.

His highly-acclaimed show will have dates in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.

Joining them at Comedy in the Vines will be Welshman Lloyd Langford. 

Apart from champing at the bit to be back touring, Lloyd is almost certainly feeling one or more of the following moods; cheeky, baffled, exhausted, curious, absolutely sick to death of going to the playground. 

Lloyd is an award-winning writer and a favourite on TV shows Have You Been Paying Attention?, Spicks and Specks and Would I Lie To You?.

For more information, go to https://justforlaughs.sydney/ and Comedy In The Vines.

*This story appears in the November issue of Anglo&Celtic magazine