Best Foods Comedy Gala drops first four acts

The team behind the NZ International Comedy Festival are super excited to be able to announce the first four acts for the Best Foods Comedy Gala in Auckland and Wellington this September. Rhys Mathewson will be leading the brilliant selection of comedians starring in the 2022 Gala line up, including the first announcement of Tofiga Fepulea'i, Justine Smith and Chris Parker.

Rhys Mathewson has won The Fred Award for the Best NZ show at the Comedy Fest, taken out the Billy T Award, is a regular on 7 Days, and has just been announced for Dancing with the Stars. He made his first Comedy Fest appearance back in 2006 at age 15, as part of the New Zealand Comedy Trust's Class Comedians high school programme. Three years later he was crowned the youngest ever Billy T Award winner at just 19 years old, and has now racked up over 10 Comedy Fest shows. His high energy and sharp observations make him the perfect comedian to take the audience on an epic live comedy experience leading this incredible line up.

Making it a night to remember will be Aotearoa’s self-proclaimed ‘humble’ king of comedy Tofiga Fepulea’i. Tofiga has graced screens and stages around the world with his unique brand of Pacific Island-style comedy, both as a solo act and as part of the legendary Laughing Samoans. The biggest-selling act at last year’s Comedy Fest, he brought down the house in massive rooms across NZ. Come watch him do it again at the Best Foods Comedy Gala’s this September.

Justine Smith smashed the hosting role last year, so we’ve got her back to slay the Gala stage. One of NZ’s queens of comedy, Justine has been named the Best Female Comedian three times! She’s a regular on 7 Days and The Project, and an all-round comedy legend. Her razor-sharp wit and biting commentary will have you in stitches.

If you’re not already a massive fan of Chris Parker – where have you been hiding? From felting on Instagram to his hilarious all-to-real impressions, Chris had us laughing through the lockdowns… and then he won Celebrity Treasure Island! Seriously, Chris has practically taken over screens large and small, and you now can see this Fred Award winner in the flesh this September.

We’ll be announcing more incredible comedians over the coming months to make the Best Foods Comedy Gala an absolute highlight in Aotearoa’s live events calendar for another year. The Auckland show will be recorded for broadcast on Three later this year, thanks to support from NZ On Air.

Proceeds from this event will support the New Zealand Comedy Trust, who run the (usually) annual NZ Intl. Comedy Festival, to continue their work supporting the development of the local comedy industry.