A new comedy festival event, World’s Funniest Island, was launched this morning (July 14) at Sydney’s Cargo Bar.
Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour will host the world’s first weekend comedy festival on October 17 and 18.
With just one ticket, comedy fans will be able to choose from more than 200 performances by local and international artists appearing in 18 great venues across Cockatoo Island, as well as enjoy a drink in atmospheric bars, great food, and quirky market stalls.
‘Kevin Rudd’ AKA comedian Anthony Ackroyd, who did
a hilarious impersonation and send up of the utegate
affair at the launch
Comedic entertainment includes British comedy legends The Goodies and Alexei Sayle, Sydney’s top stars Merrick and Rosso and Akmal, dancer of the moment Fiona O’Loughlin, and 193 other acts and shows for a weekend of spectacular silliness.
World’s Funniest Island will transform the former colonial prison and naval dockyard, utilising the unique buildings, parklands, tunnels, a spectacular big top and even a bomb shelter to deliver entertainment from mid-morning until midnight.
“This short, sharp, sensory overload format is perfect for Sydney, the city with attention deficit disorder,” said festival director John Pinder.
The World’s Funniest Island comedy weekend
is the newest event launched as part
of the NSW annual events schedule
“We have gathered a superb line-up that includes high-profile comics and fantastic unknowns – and everything in between. There is also some completely loopy stuff specially created for the island. This is a chance to sample the best and the freshest.”
The festival will pack in everything from top comics, sketch shows, circus, cabaret and burlesque, to music comedy, the best Australian student revues and even crazy art classes.
Like the big music festivals, performers will be announced progressively. The local list includes Heath Franklin’s Chopper, Tripod, Jimeoin, Anthony Ackroyd, Austen Tayshus, Scared Weird Little Guys, Wendy Harmer, Sleek Geeks (Adam Spencer and Dr Karl) and Claire Hooper.
Fresh from selling out London’s Hammersmith Apollo, US Muslim comics Allah Made Me Funny (one African-American, one Indo-American and one Palestinian-American) will premiere on the island. And, in a world exclusive, Pakistan’s only English-speaking stand-up comic Sami Shah will make his first ever international appearance.
Specially cooked for Cockatoo Island, Bitchin’ Kitchen matches chefs and comics in a hilarious cook off. Erotic Fan Fiction offers funny filth in literary form, while the world’s only burlesque drawing class, Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art Class, offers a relaxed hour of adults-only loopy life drawing.
Presented by Australian Comedy Festival Pty Ltd with Dainty Consolidated Entertainment and Jigsaw Entertainment, World’s Funniest Island will become an annual event appearing every spring “from now ‘til Armageddon”, say organisers.
“There has been nothing like this anywhere before and bringing so much entertainment to an outstanding location like Cockatoo Island is a recipe for fun on a major scale,” said Dainty Consolidated Entertainment chairman Paul Dainty.
Head of Jigsaw Entertainment Nick Murray added, “It’s great to be launching after some years of planning. We’ll be making some great television specials and World’s Funniest Island will be a unique vehicle to take our comedy to audiences all over the world.”
Events NSW CEO Geoff Parmenter said World’s Funniest Island was also part of Crave Sydney a new annual celebration of Sydney’s distinctive lifestyle, with a month of entertainment, food and outdoor experiences.
“World’s Funniest Island is an original and appealing idea and the setting on Sydney’s largest harbour island is a winner,” he said.
Tickets to this the event go on sale Monday July 20. Tickets inlcude access to all shows plus ferry transport to and from the island. One day tickets are $119.90 and weekend tickets are $209.90.
Tickets are available vis Ticketek or by calling 13 28 49. For more information on the festival click here.
