Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) has been cancelled following advice from the government to cancel events with more than 500 people in attendance.
MICF is the flagship event of the Australian comedy season. The event was set to feature more than 600 shows (7,700+ individual performances) across a range of national and international acts.
Susan Provan and Damien Hodgkinson from the event issued a statement, which read, in part, "Following the Prime Minister's announcement about non-essential mass gatherings we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Melbourne International Comedy Festival."
"The success of our festival is in the way that comedy transforms our city for the inspiration and entertainment of hundreds of thousands of comedy lovers.
"Our primary concern is the health and welfare of our artists and participants, staff and audiences. Cancelling the festival is heartbreaking but the only decision possible to support the community's efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19)."
Stay tuned to scenestr for further comedy updates and tour reschedules.
