INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL COMEDY LEGENDS ADDED TO BEST FOODS COMEDY GALA LINEUP

The New Zealand Comedy Trust & Best Foods Mayo present
Best Foods Comedy Gala
Hosted by Dai Henwood

The New Zealand Comedy Trust presents even more acts for this year’s 2026 Best Foods Comedy Gala, including the very best international and local comedians, offering up three nights of laugh out loud line-ups. Hosted by Dai Henwood ONZM, the Gala heads to Auckland on 1 May, Wellington on 2 May and Christchurch on 3 May.
 
Winner of Best International at last year’s Comedy Fest, Scottish comedian Rosco McClelland is back to perform in all three centres. Having started out in comedy 10 years ago after originally working as a plumber, he’s since been twice nominated Best Newcomer at the Scottish Comedy Awards and won the Scottish Comedian of the year in 2016. Last year he was also the recipient of the Sir Billy Connolly "Spirit of Glasgow" Award at the Glasgow Comedy Fest.
 
Outrageously funny local duo Fuq Boiz (Ryan Richards and Hamish Parkinson) make a triumphant return to the stage for the first time since 2019, treating Auckland and Wellington Gala audiences to their absurdist and madcap comic stylings. Their 2017 show was nominated for the Fred Award, and last year they turned their live show into a hit Youtube series which won them NZ Web Fest award for Best Writing in a Narrative Series.

Last year Dan Boerman brought hundreds of people out to Cuba St to watch him fold a fitted sheet, now the London-based Kiwi will join the Wellington and Christchurch Gala. With hit Edinburgh Fringe, NZ Fringe and NZICF seasons, Dan continues to make a name as one of the hardest working up-and-comers from Aotearoa.
 
The Auckland Gala will also feature British-Nigerian comic Emmanuel Sonubi, as well as New Zealand comedians Courtney Dawson, Tony Lyall and Sam Smith.

Emmanuel Sonubi was recently crowned winner on Celebrity Weakest Link, and has appeared on everything from Pointless Celebrities, Comedy Central Live, Qi to Mock the Week. His unique comedic voice has secured him multiple award nominations, including Best Show 2023 and Best Newcomer 2022, Edinburgh Comedy and Best Club Comedian 2023, Chortle Award.
 
Since kicking off her comedy career, Courtney Dawson (Ngāti Kurī, Waikato-Tainui) has won the Raw Comedy Quest, Best Newcomer at the 2024 Fest, starred on Celebrity Treasure Island and Paddy Gower Has Issues, hosted the 2024 Comedy Mixtape, written for My Favourite Dead Person, and most recently co-hosted an episode of TVNZ’s Don’t.
 
On our TV screens, Tony Lyall has been seen on the likes of The Project, 7 Days and interviewed the likes of Keira Knightley and Ryan Reynolds. He’s previously been nominated for 'Breakthrough Comedian' at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards, and now he’s back to entertain again after last appearing on the Gala stage in 2022.
 
Sam Smith is currently one of the head writers and audience warm up for TV show 7 Days, wrote tasks for Taskmaster NZ and Australia, and was the co-winner of the first season of The Traitors NZ.
 
In the Capital are local icons Lesa McLeod-Whiting and Mo Munn. A 2025 Billy T nominee, Lesa MacLeod-Whiting is an award-winning comedian, writer, improviser. Starting stand-up in 2020, she quickly made her mark at the National Raw Comedy Quest Final. Since then she’s co-founded the improv company Tiny Dog, and debuted her solo show in 2023, earning a nomination for Best Newcomer.
 
Mo Munn (Ngai Tahu, Ngā Puhi and Ngāti Hine) won Best Newcomer (Wellington - Joint Winner) at last year’s festival. A regular on the professional stand-up circuit in Pōneke, Mo has taken shows to the Comedy Fest, NZ Fringe, NZ Improv Festival and Chicago iO Festival.
 
Rounding out the lineup, Ben Vyas makes his Comedy Gala debut at home in Christchurch. Last year’s Raw Comedy Quest Final winner and 2024 Comedy Guild Best Newcomer nominee, Vyas combines humour, social commentary and cultural observations, all with a distinctly Indian twist.

The Best Foods Comedy Gala in Auckland is filmed exclusively for THREE.

The 2026 NZ International Comedy Festival with Best Foods Mayo runs from 1 – 24 May, with the full programme to be announced in March 2026.
 

www.comedyfestival.co.nz

BEST FOODS COMEDY GALA

AUCKLAND
Friday 1 May
Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre
50 Mayoral Drive, Auckland Central
Book Now

WELLINGTON
Saturday 2 May
The Opera House
113/111 Manners Street, Te Aro, Wellington Central
Book Now

CHRISTCHURCH
Sunday 3 May
Christchurch Town Hall
86 Kilmore Street
Book Now