The Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is a vibrant, good time, late summer event in Australia. Travellers from the UK can enjoy a warm and welcome change in weather and scenery from the grips of one of the colder winter in Europe in recent years. The Festival involves many downtown venues in Melbourne including the Arts Centre Melbourne and the Athenaeum Theatre. For those taking an extended stay, there are fabulous attractions in and around Melbourne, in addition to the busy festival. They include The National Gallery Victoria, Yarra Valley, the Melbourne Aquarium, and the stunning beauty of Dandenong Ranges National Park. Melbourne has terrific nightlife restaurants and cuisines from many cultures.
A Major Event
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the largest cultural event in Australia, one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world. It runs for four weeks and generally begins around April Fools Day, April 1. Comprised of more than 200 acts, it begins with an opening gala night that highlights the top headliners in a small cameo sets. The main theme of standup comedy but it has many types of comedic entertainment including animated characters, sketch comedy, and comedy prose and music. This year's event runs from March 26 - April 20, 2014.
Travel Tips
Travel from the United Kingdom to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival may reach a peak shortly before the event. Advance purchases may provide savings. Many travel services offer packages for hotel and airfare for all or part of the festival. Airfares range from just under £1,000 from Qatar Airways £983 to Qantas Airways £1,025 quoting London flights for March 28, 2014. Deep discounts were available for airfare and hotel packages from discounters. The festival offers event tickets on a per-event basis. There are some savings available. The Festival discounts tickets when purchased for three or more events. There are standard discounts for shows on each Tuesday during the festival. Group discounts apply to qualified groups, and student discounts are available with proof of student status.
The Currency Advantage
For convenience while attending the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, travellers should consider currency cards, which will avoid the time, effort, and fees of local currency exchange in Melbourne. The GBP currently has an advantageous exchange rate with the Australian dollar at approximately 1.00 GBP : 1.84927 AUD. Local exchange fees can vary by location and typically businesses charge more than currency exchanges. The trend has favoured the Pound and prospects are favourable for it to continue through the end of April. Unless a traveller has more than one destination in mind, UK travellers can make exchanges before departing and include single currency cards converting Pounds to Australian dollars at favourable rates and low fees, one can expect crowds and queues everywhere at the Festival, one will greatly enjoy some things done in advance of travel.
If you’re planning on some having a few giggles in Melbourne this March or April, be sure to get great rates on Australian Dollars with ACE-FX.
