Sydney Comedy Festival and Comedy Gigs

We turn our belly laughs now to Sydney comedy events in hearty preparation for the Sydney Comedy Festival.

The Festival begins next week (27 April - 17 May) and it couldn't have come at a better time. Amid the usual doom and gloom projected by the media, Sydney's ripe for a good giggle and the Sydney Comedy Festival along with the following comedy gigs are chomping at the bit to deliver!

The Sydney Comedy Festival showcases our brightest comic heroes from across Australia coupled with the best international gems on offer, plying its trade on Australia's most famous stages including the landmark Sydney Opera House and the iconic Enmore Theatre. Forget your cares and come and listen to the cares and demented musings of Australia' and the globe's funniest people.

All The Thoughts I've Had Since I Was Born

Perrier Award nominee and if.comedy award winner, Mark Watson in "All The Thoughts I've Had Since I Was Born". The comedian, author, sports pundit and husband will be delivering his latest show in May at the Enmore Theatre.

April Comedy at Randwick Rugby Club

April 30 - Catch Brett Nichols, Justin Jamieson and Tom Oakley for a night of April foolin'! Lots of laughs for only $10 with a free house drink at the Randwick Rugby Club.

Canned Laughter Comedy Night

On Friday 3 July the Hordern Pavilion will play host to the fourth annual Canned Laughter comedy night. The hottest talent in Australian comedy are on the bill, live on one stage, for one night, for one cause - CanTeen. Be part of the audience Read more..

Carlingford Bowling Club Comedy

May 29 - Carlingford Bowling Club hosts deadpan delight Bruce Griffiths, man about town Clint Paddison and comedy darling Dave Williams join forces for a giant night of laughs - all for only $5. Read more..

Comedy at Marble Bar

Every Tuesday! This historic heritage listed room is venturing into the comedy world and raising the Bar for the comedy scene by presenting a weekly Tuesday early evening show, 6.30 onward. Entry $15. Show meals available.

Comedy at the Gaelic

The last Tuesday of every month! A-List and The Gaelic combine to bring you Comedy at The Gaelic. You'll be mad and sad to miss this night filled with tear-inducing laughter.

Comedy on the Rox

Every Wednesday night, 8:00pm, at the Roxbury Hotel. Tickets: $15, or $12 with student card. Hit the link for more information.

Comicide - Death By Funny

"Outstanding sketch comedy... Highly recommended" - The Age. Sydney's longest running sketch show has returned from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to sell-out crowds. With new sketches performed every show, the mix is fresh and fast.

Danny Bhoy

Scotland's Danny Bhoy returns to Sydney with a new show after a phenomenal year, which has seen him become one of the biggest acts on the international scene. Since last performing in Australia in 2007, Danny has completed a sold out tour of New Z Read more..

Full Body Contact No Love Tennis

Full Body Contact No Love Tennis is the best in improvised comedy theatre in Sydney. Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month, pairs of Sydney's funniest improvising actors make up short plays and musicals based on audience suggestion. Past and c Read more..

Laughs in Liverpool

April 30 - Full on laughs with Subby Valentine, Gary Bradbury and Oliver for a tiny zero dollars at the Liverpool Hotel.

Monday Night Comedy

17 years and still going! The World Famous Monday Night Comedy @ the Fringe is bigger and better than ever. See some of Australia's best comedians and international stars. Livin' loud!! Every Monday Night @ The Fringe Bar.

Scared Scriptless Theatresports Comedy

Every Friday night teams of improvisers battle it out to win the love and laughs of a jovial audience in a plush, smoke-free venue, Bailey's Bar, The Clarence Hotel. Scared Scriptless - often exciting, often hilarious, always improvised!

The Wharf Revue

Riverside Theatres presents a brand new offering of sharp satire and edgy humour with the tenth annual season of the Sydney Theatre Company's THE WHARF REVUE from Tuesday 8 September for six performances only!

Visit our What's On Sydney Events Calendar for more information and events by date!

Sydney Charity Events | Balls | Auctions

Today's topic of choice is Sydney Charity Events. Once again, this subject arises as a followup (perhaps afterthought or to add emphasis) to yesterday's blog, Sydney Fairtrade Fortnight.

I guess in essence I wanted to draw attention to the importance of raising awareness of charity events and organisations in these financially trying times. It's understandable we're all trying to spend less and save what we can, though it's easy to forget that while we may be facing a relatively tough period, there are always those who have less than us, and they are consequentially doing it rougher.

As more and more people lose their financial well being, they are forced to rely on charitable organisations, placing more demand on those organisations who in turn rely on our contribution.

Get involved in one of these charity events or organisations this year, and contribute to a strenghtened society.

Sydney Charity events

'Yes 4 Kids' Electric Blue Colour Ball for Redkite
The Y4K Colour Ball raises funds for Redkite, which provides essential emotional, financial and educational support to children, young people and their families facing the long and difficult journey of childhood cancer.

2MAX FM Convoy for Kids
2MAX FM Convoy for Kids is a Truck, Vintage car and Hot Rod convoy along the highway through Narrabri to our 2Max FM studios. All proceeds from the day go to the kids wards at our local hospitals. Plenty of entertainment, Talent Quest, Auction, and more.

Convoy For Kids Goulburn
Day includes: Trucks convoy, stalls, entertainment, a monster auction and judging of the trucks. 8am - Trucks assemble at Gateway Service Station. 10am - Trucks convoy through Auburn Street and arrive for a family day at Belmore Park.

Diabetes Buzz Day
Diabetes Buzz Day - the annual fundraising event for Diabetes Australia-NSW will be held on Friday, 18 September and in the next few weeks more than 200,000 flashing pens, torch keyrings, magnetic badges and buzz bees will sent out to selected retail stores.

Field of Women
Breast Cancer Network Australia is calling on 13,000 people - representing the number of Australians diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 - to stand together and create the first ever Sydney Field of Women LIVE before the Sydney Swans v St Kilda match.

Great Australian Bite
Share a bite to help fight Diabetes This April, people from across NSW will be sharing food, having fun and enjoying friendships as they get together for the 'Great Australian Bite' to help raise money for those living with diabetes in Australia.

Kids In Need Dragon Boat Festival
This is a fun annual charity event that attracts teams from both side of the border to compete in boat races and other activities. Dragon Boat Racing started in China around 2000 years ago and is a great team sport.

Lifestart Kayak for Kids
A 17.5km paddling event raising funds and awareness for Lifestart, a charity helping kids with disabilities. Broken down in 4 legs of 4-5km each, this event can be completed by solo paddlers on their own craft or by corporate relay teams.

Michael's Ride For Cancer
Michael is a 16 year old and is doing a solo bike ride from Melbourne to Sydney to raise money for the Cancer Council. He leaves Essendon, Melbourne on the 12th May and arrives at the Relay for Life at Castle Hill Showground, Sydney on 17th May.

Pink Ribbon Breakfast
Pink Ribbon breakfasts are a fun, early morning get-together of friends, family or workmates to celebrate the achievements of breast cancer research and raise funds for further research.

Royal North Shore Hospital Cancer Services Ball
On Friday the 16th of October, 2009 the second annual Cancer Services Ball will be held at Dockside Darling Harbour. A cancer diagnosis is a devastating blow, and 100% of a patient's energy needs to be dedicated to recovery.

Starlight Day
Starlight Day is the annual national fundraising event for the Starlight Children's Foundation Australia, to be held on 1st May in 2009, and raises vital funds for children and families who live with serious illness and hospitalisation.

Three Bridges Walk for Kids With Cancer
Join us starting at Kirrabilli, across the Harbour Bridge, over the Darling Harbour overpass, over the Anzac Bridge, up Victoria Road and all the way across the Iron Cove Bridge, ending on the grass on the Birkinhead side of the bridge.

Triple Climb 09
Triple Climb 09 supports The Smith Family to help disadvantaged Aussie kids to create a brighter future through education. The Smith Family Challenge is an annual event that tests the stamina and fitness of individuals against the elements.

Walk for AIDS
ACON, Bobby Goldsmith Foundation (BGF) and Positive Life NSW are once again hosting the Walk for AIDS on Sunday 22 November 2009. Now in its fourth year, the Walk for AIDS raises much needed funds for services for HIV positive people.

Amateur Ashes Charity Event
On Australia Day come down and watch the Amateur Ashes (the Aussies vs the English) and enjoy a BBQ, raffles, live music and lots of entertainment for the kids. All money raised will be donated to Red Kite, a Children's Cancer Charity.

Bandaged Bear Day
The Bandaged Bear Day Appeal is a wonderful event and chance to support The Children's Hospital at Westmead by purchasing Bandaged Bear Day merchandise throughout the month of March.

Sydney Charity Organisations

CanTeen
CanTeen - The Australian Organisation for Young People Living with Cancer, is the national support organisation for young people (aged 12-24) living with cancer.

Caritas Australia
The Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development. Caritas Australia helps people help themselves - regardless of race, religion or political beliefs.

Charity Greeting Cards
Charity Greeting Cards is a wholesale publisher of Greetings Cards specifically to Australian Charities. We assist our Charity clients by marketing and promoting the Christmas Cards that we have manufactured for them through this website.

Legacy
Legacy is a uniquely Australian organisation, established in 1923 by ex-servicemen dedicated to the task of caring for the widows and dependants of their comrades.

Lifeline Sydney
Lifeline Sydney provides a 24 hour crisis telephone counselling service. The service is delivered by volunteers who are skilled and equipped to assist those who call by providing counselling support and referral options.

Make-A-Wish Australia
Make-A-Wish Australia has been granting wishes to children and young people since 1985. Wishes bring magic, joy and hope to these children and their families, as well as unforgettable experiences.

Oxfam Australia
Oxfam Australia is an Australian, independent, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organisation. Our vision is of a fair world in which people control their own lives, their basic rights are achieved and the environment is sustained.

OzHarvest - Rescuing Food for Sydney's Charities
OzHarvest is a Sydney-based charity that collects excess food and delivers it, free of charge, to organizations that feed disadvantaged men, women and children in our community.

Redkite
Redkite is an Australian charity that supports children, young people and their families through cancer by providing emotional guidance, financial assistance and educational services.

Save the Children
Save the Children Australia remains focused on programs that directly benefit the lives of children and their communities. Save the Children Australia's program breadth can be demonstrated by the number of programs we design and directly implement.

The Australian Charities Fund
The Australian Charities Fund is an Australian founded and led organisation established to facilitate the development of Workplace Giving programs, and associated community involvement programs, within large employer organisations.

The Benevolent Society
The Benevolent Society is an independent, secular, not-for-profit organisation with a long history of working with communities to create positive change. The Benevolent Society works with individuals and communities in metropolitan, regional and rural New South Wales and in South East Queensland.

The Leukaemia Foundation
We are dedicated to the care and cure of patients and families living with leukaemias, lymphomas, myeloma and related blood disorders.

The Shepherd Centre
The Shepherd Centre works with children who are deaf and hearing impaired to teach them to speak and communicate in the hearing world. The approach focuses on listening as the foundation for developing spoken language, through the use of hearing devices...

The Starlight Children's Foundation
Since being formed as an Australian children's charity in 1988, the Starlight Children's Foundation has brightened the lives of seriously ill and hospitalised children, and their families, by delivering innovative programs that restore fun, laughter and joy that a life-threatening illness takes away.

The Sydney Cancer Centre
The Sydney Cancer Centre is at the forefront of cancer treatment and research in Australia. Cancer Information and Support.

The Sydney Kids Committee
The Sydney Kids Committee is a volunteer group dedicated to supporting the Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick.

UNICEF
UNICEF is the United Nations Children's Fund, the world's leading advocate for children. UNICEF is non-political and works in over 150 countries to make a lasting difference to the lives of women and children around the world, and advocates for the health of Indigenous children in Central Australia.

Wesley Mission
Wesley Mission has a real mission - to minister to a community with real needs. Our community includes the vulnerable and marginalised. It includes the lonely, hurt and fragile, the homeless, mentally ill, aged, disabled, unemployed.

World Vision
World Vision is Australia's largest overseas aid and humanitarian organisation. As well as providing relief in emergency situations, we work on long-term development projects with local communities to address the causes of poverty and help them become self-sufficient.

WWF-Australia
WWF-Australia is part of the WWF International Network, the world's largest and most experienced independent conservation organisation. It has close to five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries.

Youth Off The Streets
Youth Off The Streets is a community organisation supporting homeless and drug addicted young Australians as they work to turn their lives around. It is our goal that these young people will leave our care drug free, with a high school education.

Contributing to any of the above organisations is a great way to make a difference to individuals, families and society at large.

If you know of or are involved with a charitable organisation, or are organising an upcoming charitable event, you can advertise it with OnlySydney via the link free of charge.

Sydney's International Year of Astronomy

2009 has been deemed the International Year of Astronomy, and Sydney has taken the theme straight to its bosom.

Sydney Observatory has a universe of events planned, aimed at increasing the public's awareness of the beauty and awe-inspiring sights the universe has to offer.

Treasures of Sydney Observatory takes you on a a fabulous guided stargazing tour featuring stories of the instruments used by past explorers and astronomers to map both skies and land.

100 hours of astronomy: The jewel box in the Southern Cross has you relaxing beneath a canopy of stars while music carries you across the universe. View the Jewel Box, a gem-like cluster of stars within the Southern Cross, plus see a rare view of Saturn completely naked, devoid of its famous rings.

The Sydney Observatory April school holiday program is the perfect opportunity for children to introduce themselves to the wonders of the universe. Events include the Children's planetarium, Solar system model activity, Terrific Titan pizza nights, and the Saturn Fever Party Day. This is not only a great opportunity for you child to learn, but also the ideal time for us all to rediscover Earth's place in the universe.

For more International Year of Astronomy events, visit OnlySydney's Museum and Science. More events will be loaded up over the coming weeks, so check back regularly for updates.