Byron Comedy Fest is a fabulous event that takes place at the Great Northern Hotel.
2025 Program
Friday, May 1
Great Northern Hotel
Friday 1 May, 6:30pm – 7.45pm
Comedy legend Dave O’Neil (Spicks and Specks, Fisk) returns with a brand-new stand-up show.
‘O’Neil is a comedy juggernaut.’ ★★★★★ Theatre Matters
“A joyful way to spend an hour” ★★★★★ Time Out
About Dave O’Neil
Dave O’Neil has done stand up for over 30 years and been seen on TV shows such as The Project, The Front Bar, Have you been paying attention, Question Everything, Fisk, The Panel, Good news Week, Hey hey it’s Saturday and Spicks and Specks where he holds the record for the most appearances (67 times!). He is the host of popular podcasts The Debrief, Somehow Related (with Glenn Robbins) and The Junkies (with Kitty Flannagan). He has written several books his last ’The summer of’82’ was almost a best seller.
$35.00
Friday 1 May, 8:00pm – 9:45pm
Jackie Loeb: Second Crack
After fourteen years of living and working in Los Angeles, comedian Jackie Loeb returns to her roots in Australia with a bold new mission: to make it big in Marrickville! Trading Hollywood glitz for Byron Bay grit, Jackie’s journey is a tale of resilience, reinvention, and the absurdity of starting over in a place that feels both familiar and foreign.
With a mix of seasoned experience, sharp wit, and the fearless energy that only comes from surviving the hustle of Hollywood, Jackie is ready to take on this vibrant and eclectic Sydney suburb. Marrickville sets the perfect stage for Jackie’s uproarious attempts to reclaim her spotlight with her signature blend of biting humour, brutal honestly and musical comedy brilliance.
Determined to build her career anew while confronting the quirks of coming home after so many years away, this is a celebration of resilience, authenticity and the enduring power of comedy. Jackie Loeb is proving that it’s never too late to dream big—even in Byron Bay.
Whether you’re a long-time fan, first-time audience member or anyone who’s ever dared to chase a dream—or wondered what happens when you come home again, Jackie’s comeback promises to be as unforgettable as it is sidesplittingly funny. This isn’t just a second act; it’s a full-blown comedy reboot… Byron Bay.
Not to be missed. – LA TIMES
Gobsmackingly Excellent! – SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
We had the immense pleasure of witnessing the comedic genius that is Jackie Loeb. A skilled chameleon and siren. – COMEDIVA
Loeb is literally a laugh a minute, but pointedly so. – THE AUSTRALIAN STAGE
About Jackie Loeb
Jackie Loeb is a comic, actor, singer, writer and world-renowned sugar and carb addict! As seen on Superstore, Better Things, The Comedy Channel and can currently be heard on the Emmy Nominated Netflix animated children’s series Trash Truck where she voices the role of Ms. Mona. (A worldly and wise Australian rat.) Jackie was also a writer and cast member on the iconic sketch comedy series Full Frontal.
Jackie has worked as a stand-up comic her entire adult life and has headlined at comedy clubs across Australia and beyond. She has hosted events for Kids Help Line, Weight Watchers, The LGBTQI Awards, Soccer NSW, University of New England and Jack Daniels just to name a few.
Now based in beautiful Los Angeles, she has performed at the Aspen Comedy Festival, Hollywood Fringe Festival, Burbank Comedy Festival, Women’s Week, Dinah Shore and can’t wait to bring her solo stand-up show “The Second Crack” to Byron Bay on 2nd of May 2025.
Saturday, May 2
Great Northern Hotel
Saturday 2 May, 6:30pm – 7.45pm
Matt Okine: The Life and Times of 4-Point-1
“Hello. Matt here. Doing my first comedy show in five years. I don’t know exactly what I’ll talk about yet, but I promise it’ll be funny. I should clarify that the image I’m using for this show is an old one. I don’t have nearly as much hair anymore. If you’d prefer a comedian with hair then this is not the show for you. If you really like balding comedians then defs buy tickets to this show, but PLEASE resist the urge to step on stage during the show and rub my smooth shiny head. Thank you. See you in May!”
Performing at the Byron Comedy Festival, one of Australia’s finest award-winning comedians returns with a brand new show about hope, haters, and dodging crims on the Kangaroo Point cliffs. This is the life and times of “4-Point-1”.
About Matt Okine
Multi-talented actor, writer & presenter Matt Okine is one of Australia’s favourite award-winning comedians, having spent over 20 years appearing on screens and stages around Australia and the world.
Okine has won several awards for his comedy including the ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release, The Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Director’s Choice Award, and the Best Newcomer Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (which he shared with Ronny Chieng), as well as being nominated for Best Comedy Performer at the Helpmann Awards.
Matt’s award-winning semi-autobiographical stand up show The Other Guy was adapted for television by Australian streamer STAN in 2017. Matt co-wrote and starred in 2 seasons of the show which earned him AACTA nominations for Best Comedy Series and Subscription TV Best New Talent, and saw the series picked up in the US (HULU), Canada, and Argentina.
Matt continues to solidify himself as a powerhouse TV producer and writer playing an integral role in the reboot of the Australian series Mother and Son on ABC which debuted in 2023. Matt, playing the lead alongside Denise Scott, is also working as the executive producer for the series. Season One received numerous TV Week Logie nominations including Best Scripted Comedy Program, Best Lead Actor in a Comedy (Matt Okine) and Best Lead Actress in a Comedy (Denise Scott). Season two of Mother and Son is set to be released in 2025.
Matt’s debut novel Being Black N Chicken & Chips was published by Hachette Australia in 2019. This heart-warming coming of age novel is based on his 2012 live show which earnt him his Best Newcomer Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and a Best Newcomer Nomination at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Being Black n Chicken n Chips was shortlisted for the 2020 ABIA Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year and he has appeared at writing festivals around Australia.
Matt spent 3 years co-hosting Triple J radio’s hugely successful national Breakfast Show with Alex Dyson. Matt returned to the airwaves in 2020 with his former cohort Alex Dyson to host SCA’s All Day Breakfast on their Listnr app. The pair previously hosted Triple J radio’s hugely successful national Breakfast Show. Also in 2020, Matt joined creative forces with musician Kristy Lee Peters (KLP) to form Diver City, a colourful and lively, original children’s music collaboration project. As Diver City, they have released 3 EPs which earned them two ARIA award nominations for Best Children’s Album and an AIR Award for Best Independent Children’s Album.
Outside of his own projects you can catch Matt appearing on your TV screen in several shows, Stateless (ABC & Netflix), Orange Is The New Brown (Ch7), H2O: Just Add Water, and Doctor Doctor (CH9) and movie’s including Paramount’s Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Christmas Ransom (STAN) and Aquamarine.
$35.00
Saturday 2 May, 8:00pm – 9:45pm
An Intimate Evening With Tabitha Booth
Winner – Best Newcomer, 2022 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Ring ring! Who’s that? Hollywood? Tell them I’m busy! Ha!
Liza Minelli fears her. Barbra Streisand wants to be her. Judy Garland circa 1950 lusts for her. Get
ready for An Intimate Evening with Tabatha Booth!
After a mystery hiatus, a lot of credit card debit, and in an act of pure desperation Tabitha Booth returns to the stage for the comeback show no-one was expecting…or asked for. Witness as this Forrest Gump of old Hollywood uses her last threads of sanity to share her life’s work; from her breakout role as “Long Fork Lady”, to being kneecapped by Marylin Monroe for trying to harmonize “happy birthday”, it’s a night of all the classic stories and off-off-off Broadway hits you’ve never heard and love.
Join heavily medicated lounge singer Tabitha Booth for an intimate evening of unhinged character comedy like no other.
Starring Frankie McNair and Riley Bell
*Tabitha Booth is the horrible brainchild of award winning comedian Frankie McNair. Hello! (As seen on Thank God You’re Here, Just For Laughs Sydney TV Gala and ABC’s Question Everything)
‘A comedy festival hit’ ★★★★ The Age
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