The first Blue Mountains Comedy Festival runs Wednesday 2 to Sunday 13 December 2026. Sixteen events are on sale across Katoomba, Medlow Bath, Blackheath, Wentworth Falls, Lawson and Springwood: stand-up from Akmal, Luke Heggie, Anisa Nandaula, Michael Hing and Cameron James, plus improv, two kids’ shows, workshops and a comedy burlesque class. Tickets run from free to $55 and are sold through Humanitix.
This guide lists every show with its date, venue, start time and price, then covers how to plan a weekend — or the whole fortnight — from Leura. All details come from the festival’s own ticket pages and were checked on 4 October 2026.
Coming up for a weekend? Book Magnolia Cottage in Leura for a few nights. Staying for both weekends? Our long-stay rates start from $1,800 a week, booked direct.
Blue Mountains Comedy Festival 2026 at a glance
| Dates | Wednesday 2 – Sunday 13 December 2026 (festival site says 2–16 December; no shows after the 13th are on sale yet) |
| Where | Katoomba, Medlow Bath, Blackheath, Wentworth Falls, Lawson and Springwood |
| Headliners | Akmal, Luke Heggie, Anisa Nandaula, Michael Hing, Cameron James |
| Tickets | Free to $55, plus a Humanitix booking fee |
| Family shows | Sunday 6 December (Springwood) and Sunday 13 December (Lawson) |
| Organiser | Blue Mountains Comedy, founded in Katoomba by comedian Marty Bright in 2024 |
| Where to stay | Leura — one train stop from Katoomba, where most shows are |
Full program and ticket prices
Times are showtimes. Doors open 15 to 60 minutes earlier. Prices are per person, before the booking fee. Where a price is marked “early bird”, it is the only price listed now and may go up.
| Date | Show | Venue | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 Dec | Intro to Stand-Up Workshop for teens (12–17), with Marty Bright | The Street University, 93 Katoomba St, Katoomba | 5pm | Free (register) |
| Fri 4 Dec | Akmal (15+) | Hydro Majestic Hotel, Medlow Bath | 8pm | $55 |
| Sat 5 Dec | Big Hands Improv Workshop | Bursill Lane Studio, 88 Katoomba St, Katoomba | 5pm | $20 ($30 with show) |
| Sat 5 Dec | Big Hands Improv Show | Bursill Lane Studio, Katoomba | 6.30pm | $20 |
| Sat 5 Dec | Luke Heggie | Bursill Lane Studio, Katoomba | 8.30pm | $30 |
| Sun 6 Dec | Kids Puppet Show with Natalie May (ages 2–12) | Springwood Country Club, 84 Hawkesbury Rd, Springwood | 11am | $10 child, $15 adult, $30 family |
| Sun 6 Dec | Blackheath Variety Hour | Side B Vinyl Bar, Great Western Hwy, Blackheath | 6.30pm | $25 early bird |
| Mon 7 Dec | Launch Party | Mountain Culture Brewery, 23–25 Parke St, Katoomba | 6pm | Invitation only |
| Tue 8 Dec | Thrifty Comedy, hosted by Josh Khoury | Yesterday Store, 167 Katoomba St, Katoomba | 6.30pm | $20 early bird |
| Wed 9 Dec | Yeah The Girls (all-female line-up) | On The Soul Side Cafe, 1 Goldsmith Pl, Katoomba | 7.30pm | $25 early bird |
| Thu 10 Dec | Intro to Comedy Burlesque with Porcelain Doll (adults) | Moonflower Movement Studios, 2/118 Katoomba St, Katoomba | 7pm | $50 |
| Fri 11 Dec | Anisa Nandaula | Wentworth Falls School of Arts, Great Western Hwy | 8pm | $40 |
| Sat 12 Dec | Michael Hing | The Metropole Guest House, 11–15 Gang Gang St, Katoomba | 6.30pm | $35 |
| Sat 12 Dec | Cameron James | The Metropole Guest House, Katoomba | 9pm | $35 |
| Sun 13 Dec | The Vegetable Plot (kids’ band) | Story Garden, 1 Badgery Cres, Lawson | 10.30am | $15 |
| Sun 13 Dec | Local Legends Showcase, hosted by Marty Bright | The Happy Brewery, 42–44 Park St, Lawson | 6pm | $20 early bird |
The headliners
Akmal — Friday 4 December, Hydro Majestic, Medlow Bath
Akmal Saleh’s new show is about a spiritual trip to India. At $55 it is the festival’s dearest ticket, and the only show in a hotel. The Hydro Majestic serves dinner from 5pm (bookings essential) and sells dinner-and-show packages on its own website. Ages 15 and over; no babes in arms.
Luke Heggie — Saturday 5 December, Bursill Lane Studio, Katoomba
Heggie started out by winning RAW Comedy. He has since won the comedians’ choice Piece of Wood award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Director’s Choice award at the Sydney Comedy Festival, and has two ARIA nominations for Best Comedy Release. Bursill Lane Studio is a small room at 88 Katoomba Street and has been Blue Mountains Comedy’s main venue since 2024.
Anisa Nandaula — Friday 11 December, Wentworth Falls School of Arts
A Ugandan-Australian comedian and poet whose material covers race, relationships, religion and class. TV credits include Taskmaster, Thank God You’re Here, Gen Z team captain on the rebooted Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Gen, and Urzila Carlson’s ABC sketch series URZILA. She won the Queensland Poetry Slam in 2016 before moving to stand-up in 2020.
Michael Hing and Cameron James — Saturday 12 December, The Metropole, Katoomba
Two separate shows in the same venue, at 6.30pm and 9pm, so you can see both in one night. Hing is heard on Double J and the Dragon Friends podcast; his ticket page quotes a 4.5-star Sydney Morning Herald review. James has appeared on ABC’s Bad Company and Guy Mont-Spelling Bee. His show covers blue light discos, suburban dinner theatre and teenage rock-star plans.
Shows for kids and teens
- Kids Puppet Show — Sunday 6 December, Springwood, 11am. Ventriloquist Natalie May, for ages 2–12. A family ticket for two adults and two children is $30.
- The Vegetable Plot — Sunday 13 December, Lawson, 10.30am. An ABC Kids band with two ARIA nominations. They won Best Children’s Show at the 2014 Sydney Fringe.
- Teen stand-up workshop — Wednesday 2 December, Katoomba, 5pm. Free for ages 12–17. Registration required.
Workshops: have a go yourself
- Improv, Saturday 5 December, 5pm. A one-hour beginner session with Big Hands. Add their 6.30pm show for $30 in total.
- Comedy burlesque, Thursday 10 December, 7pm. A 90-minute intro with Porcelain Doll of Moonflower Movement: character, physical comedy and timing. No dance experience needed. Adults only.
- Teen stand-up, Wednesday 2 December, 5pm. See above.
How to plan your festival trip
One weekend: 4–6 December
The first weekend has the widest mix. Akmal on Friday. Improv and Luke Heggie in Katoomba on Saturday. On Sunday, the puppet show in Springwood in the morning and the Blackheath Variety Hour in the evening.
One weekend: 11–13 December
The second weekend suits two headliners in one night. Anisa Nandaula on Friday, then Michael Hing and Cameron James back to back at the Metropole on Saturday. Sunday is quieter, with The Vegetable Plot and Local Legends both in Lawson.
Midweek: 8–10 December
Tuesday to Thursday is all in Katoomba, in small rooms: a vintage shop, a café in the old Gearin Hotel and a movement studio. Tickets are $20–$50. Seating is limited, so book ahead.
Getting around
Most Katoomba venues are on or just off Katoomba Street, walkable from Katoomba Station. Medlow Bath and Blackheath are further west. Wentworth Falls, Lawson and Springwood are east, down the mountain. Leura sits between Katoomba and Wentworth Falls on the Blue Mountains Line, which makes it a central base. If you’re taking the train home after a 9pm show, check late services on Transport NSW first.
Base yourself in Leura for the festival. A few nights for one weekend, or a week or more to catch both.
Staying for the whole festival
The program spans twelve days, from 2 to 13 December. It finishes before NSW public school summer holidays begin on Friday 18 December. Catching both weekends and the midweek shows means a stay of a week or more rather than two separate trips.
Magnolia Cottage takes stays from a week to a month, from $1,800 a week when you book direct. That avoids platform fees, and you get one total for the whole stay. If you’d be working during the week, our guide to working remotely from Leura covers what that’s like. See Long Stays for details or send us your dates.
Comedy before December
- Free stand-up open mic at On The Soul Side Cafe, Katoomba, one Monday a month: 19 October, 16 November and 21 December 2026. Comedy from 7.30pm, hosted by Marty Bright.
- Daniel Muggleton — Friday 20 November, Katoomba Community Centre (Tibbi Whalan Hall). $37.05 plus booking fee.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Blue Mountains Comedy Festival 2026?
Shows on sale run from Wednesday 2 to Sunday 13 December 2026. The festival website gives the dates as 2–16 December, so more shows may be added.
Where is the Blue Mountains Comedy Festival held?
Across six Blue Mountains towns: Katoomba (most shows), Medlow Bath, Blackheath, Wentworth Falls, Lawson and Springwood.
How much are tickets?
From free (the teen workshop) to $55 (Akmal), plus a Humanitix booking fee. Most stand-up shows are $20–$40.
Is the festival suitable for kids?
Yes, for two shows: Natalie May’s Kids Puppet Show in Springwood (6 December) and The Vegetable Plot in Lawson (13 December). There is also a free stand-up workshop for 12–17 year olds. Akmal is 15+ and the burlesque workshop is adults only.
Where should I stay for the Blue Mountains Comedy Festival?
Leura or Katoomba. Leura is one train stop from Katoomba, where most shows are, and sits between the upper-mountains venues and those in Wentworth Falls and Lawson. Magnolia Cottage in Leura sleeps four and takes both short stays and stays of a week or more.
Where to stay: Magnolia Cottage, Leura
Magnolia Cottage is a self-contained cottage in the heart of Leura, sleeping four. It’s about a kilometre’s walk from Leura Mall, with a fireplace inside and a firepit outside for evenings after a show.
Sources
- Blue Mountains Comedy Festival — festival dates
- Blue Mountains Comedy on Humanitix — show dates, venues, times and prices
- Headliner ticket pages: Akmal, Luke Heggie, Anisa Nandaula, Michael Hing, Cameron James
- Visit NSW — Anisa Nandaula background
- MTNS MADE events calendar — full festival listing
- Blue Mountains Gazette, November 2024 — Marty Bright and Bursill Lane Studio
- NSW Department of Education — 2026 school term dates
Details checked 4 October 2026. One listing site places Michael Hing at Bursill Lane Studio; his ticket page says The Metropole — go by your ticket. Prices and line-ups can change, so confirm on the festival site before booking.
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