The year 2025 marks The Laugh Resort's seventh Fringe World season in Perth's Yagan Square.
This year sees more than 80 local and international comedians taking to the stage, in a venue existing primarily to champion WA comedic talent.
“In this open-access model, where anyone can put on a show, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by choice and just choose names you know,” Manager Di Star says.
“Our programme’s shortlisted a top ten per cent of the fest’s 250 comedies for you, curating the best acts of their kind – from the emerging to the acclaimed – in one place, so you can pick anything (or make a night of a few shows back-to-back) and know the odds of having a good time and some great laughs are extremely high.”
Three shows staged at The Laugh Resort, in the last six years, have won Fringe World's Best Comedy Award – all from WA.
Audiences can expect things like 9 At 9 for the indecisive (previous acts include Rove, Tom Ballard, Georgie Carroll and Dilruk Jayasinha). . . Where you can see 36 comics by making it your weekly go-to across four weeks.
Plus, previous Best Comedy winner Luke Bolland presents 'How To Live Forever', and lawyer-turned-comedian-turned-festival-organiser Tess Birch teaches 'How NOT To Run A Music Festival'.
There's three nights of the '10th Annual Haters' Ball', as the Fringe's funniest guests 'hate' on audience-suggested topics. Also, check out a showcase of the festival's top Black/African comics in 'Black Laughs Matter' hosted by Vincent Tshaka.
The festival's youngest comic, 18-year-old Class Clowns national finalist Hardy Croucher, will present his debut hour for the first time, while millennial wellness guru and emerging comic Gemma Frances debuts as 'The Unhinged Oracle'.
Tony Martin calls her “the funniest German I know”, and now Maren May presents 'Maren May Reads Between No Lines', directed by Claire Hooper. Meanwhile Rose Bishop returns home from Melbourne, with 'Clap If You're Mad At Me'.
Deadly Funny national champion Fabian Woods and a supporting cast of rising star First Nations comics present new show 'Moorditj' (Noongar for 'strong'). Hometown favourite freestyle rapper Macshane delivers two shows of his new hour, 'Attention Deficit Rap Disorder'.
Things won't be slowing down as the middle of Fringe World approaches. An influx of guests will take over The Laugh Resort, including Tommy Dassalo in 'Main Character', and Singapore-based South African and Edinburgh Fringe 2024 Best Newcomer nominee Devin Gray in 'How To Get Away With Marriage'.
UK-based US comedian and scientist Robyn Perkins presents her unique panel show of laughing and learning, 'Comedy For The Curious: 2025'. Then, later that week, Perth UK expat Andrew Silverwood will join Robyn to host two weekend outings of 'Abroad – The International Comedy Gameshow'.
Comic, media personality and WA Greens candidate Simone Springer brings her new hour on turning 40 and parenting after divorce, in 'Mum's Time Out'. . . And fellow West Aussie Amy Hetherington follows her Fringe World 2024 Best Comedy with 'Proud As Punch'.
Two of the circuit’s bonafide best blokes hit Fringe’s final fortnight – there’s Aussie funny bugger Kel Balnaves, bringing two nights of ‘Where The Bloody Hell Am I?’, and international, multi-awarded Brit Gordon Southern in ‘Great Southern Man’.
Queen of side-hustles Rose Callaghan is back too, premiering ‘I’m not a girlboss, not yet a womanboss’, a tale of accidentally going viral on LinkedIn. Acclaimed Queensland comic Shayne Hunter teams up with Perth’s funniest South African, Chris Pucillo, in ‘Love Hurts, Work Sucks: Comedians On Conflict & Communication’.
For those into Valentine’s Day OR against it. . . The seventh annual Galentine’s Day Gala will present the festival’s finest comics of the female persuasion, hosted by Fringe World 2024 Best Comedy winner Emma Krause.
Finally, UK media commentator and comic Kate Smurthwaite will bring to Perth her drag king alter-ego for the very first time: ‘Milo Standards: Penis De Milo’. . . And Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Director’s Choice winner Takashi Wakasugi will round out the overseas guest list with ‘Comedy Samurai’.
The Laugh Resort presents comedy shows through Perth's 2025 Fringe World from 17 January-16 February.
