Best Foods Comedy Gala

Prepare for a night brimming with comedy gold!

The 2024 NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo is delighted to kick off the funniest Fest in town with the annual Best Foods Comedy Gala! Join host Chris Parker (2018 Fred Award Winner, the NZ Comedy Trust’s 2022 Topp Prize Winner, Taskmaster NZ, Celebrity Treasure Island NZ) for a rock solid show-stopping sell-out, celebrating Aotearoa comedy with some of the finest local and international acts this Comedy Fest. Don't miss the chance to be a part of the comedy magic.

Hosted by Chris Parker, and joining the already announced Heath Franklin's Chopper, Brynley Stent, Pax Assadi, Abby Howells, Takashi Wakasugi, Nazeem Hussain, Hayley Sproull, He Huang, Alice Snedden, Rhys Mathewson and Eli Matthewson is Wilson Dixon, Barnie Duncan, Jerome Chandrahasen, Melanie Bracewell, Paul Douglas, Ian Smith and Kirsty Webeck.

In Tāmaki Makaurau, audiences get to experience Aotearoa’s favourite American country music and comedy legend Wilson Dixon, following sell out seasons and numerous awards and nominations across NZ, Aus and the UK, including a coveted Fred Award.

Fred Award Nominee Barnie Duncan makes his Gala debut, with his unique off-beat style of comedy. Barnie has been highly awarded for his theatrical comedy both here and internationally, having featured on shows like Wellington Paranormal and Shortland Street. They’re joined by Wellington’s own legend, MC and comedy producer Jerome Chandrahasen who is sure to bring plenty of laughs!

Also joining this top-tier lineup is last year’s Gala host and comedy force, Melanie Bracewell - making audiences guffaw on screen and in the writer’s room in some of Aotearoa and Australia’s best comedy television. Winner of Best Live Show and Best Gag at the 2019 New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards, Paul Douglas has been making audiences laugh for more than 14 years and also returns to the Gala after being a highlight in 2023.

Rounding off Auckland’s 2024 Best Foods Comedy Gala are international heavyweights - award-winning UK comedian, actor and writer Ian Smith who was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show in 2023 and Australia's best Kirsty Webeck, who brings her upbeat and relatable brand of comedy to the Gala for the first time.

This epic night will be filmed live for THREE's Month of Comedy!


Proceeds from the Best Foods Comedy Gala will support The New Zealand Comedy Trust, who run the annual NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo, to continue their work supporting the development of the local comedy industry.