Chris Parker and friends are set to bring all the laughs to Pōneke this summer. Join a stellar lineup at Summer Laughs on 23 January at Te Huinga Tāngata, Carterton and Wellington Comedy Club on 24 January at Fringe Bar during Wellington Anniversary Weekend.
Headlining both events is the self-proclaimed People's Princess of Aotearoa, Chris Parker. As seen on 7 Days, Have You Been Paying Attention, Jono and Ben, Funny Girls and Golden Boy, Chris holds a Fred Award and Topp Prize, took out Celebrity Treasure Island, authored a book, hosted a podcast, and performed to sold-out audiences both at home and abroad, and now he’s heading back to Wellington.
Joining him on 23 January at Te Huinga Tāngata is MC Gabby Anderson and Carterton’s very own Jamaine Ross. Gaby is back in Wellington after a few years on the Melbourne comedy circuit and performing in Macbeth at Edinburgh Fringe and across Scotland. Gabby is a Billy T Award nominee, a National Raw Comedy Quest winner, an improviser and even a trained teacher - there’s nothing Gabby can’t do. Jamaine is also pretty impressive - A Fred and Billy T Award nominee, he’s a familiar face from his time as part of comedy trio Frickin Dangerous Bro, and works as an editor on Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont Spelling Bee.
Next up is Brendon Green. Brendon has been nominated for the Fred and Billy T Awards, and has helped write some of NZ's best-loved comedy TV. With more comedians still to be announced, the two-hour showcase will be packed with sharp wit, big laughs, and plenty of personality.
Chris Parker leads a new crew for The Wellington Comedy Club, moving the laughs down to the capital on 24 January at Fringe Bar. Wellington Comedy Quest winner Ralph Hilaga, a comedian, improviser and writer, also DJs under the alias REYNEIL, joins 2026 Billy T Award nominee Kipling DC, the self-proclaimed ‘Big Dog’ of Wellington comedy.
Bringing home the lineup is Joana Joy, who has performed across New Zealand and Australia as both a comedian and dancer, alongside Wellington Comedy Quest finalists Leo Holbrook and Beck Ward. Sketch comedy duo Ginge & Minge (Nina Hogg and Megan Connolly) round out the laughs. Since starting out in 2020, they’ve performed their signature comedy across Australasia and won the NZ Comedy Guild Award for Comic Originality in 2025.
The Wellington Comedy Club performance is made possible with support from Lane Neave and One Foundation.
Summer Laughs
Te Huinga Tāngata (formerly the Wairarapa Events Centre), Carterton
Saturday 23 January, 8PM
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Wellington Comedy Club
Saturday 24 January, 8PM
Fringe Bar
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