ImprovFestivals.orgScary Strangers Comedy Festival
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 15-18, 2026 |
| Edition | Inaugural (1st Annual) |
| Location | Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia |
| Language | English |
| Organizer | Scary Strangers (Ru Halwala and Tom Stevenson) |
| Website | scarystrangers.com |
| @scarystrangers |
Overview
The Scary Strangers Comedy Festival is a four-day celebration of comedy held at the Wentworth Falls School of the Arts in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. The 2026 edition is the inaugural festival, produced by Aussie comedy duo Scary Strangers (Ru Halwala and Tom Stevenson) with support from Blue Mountains City Council and the Blue Mountains City of the Arts Trust. It brings a mix of stand-up, improv, sketch, and musical comedy to the region.
Improv features prominently across the program. Shows include Blank Slate Cinema, an improvised movie built from audience suggestions, and Unplanned Melodies: Nonsense & Sensibility, a fully improvised Jane Austen-inspired musical, alongside a comedy variety night and a lineup of women and gender-diverse comedians.
Workshops
The festival runs improv workshops for a range of experience levels, including a character-creation class, a musical improv workshop led by Unplanned Melodies, and a "Workshop to Show" intensive that ends with an evening performance. Scary Strangers also offers an eight-week long-form improv intensive (Spokane Format) that culminates in a festival performance.
Submissions
The festival hosts an open Sketch Comedy Competition. Registration is free and runs September 6-17, 2026; entrants then receive a mystery word of inspiration and have until October 3 to submit an original short sketch (max two minutes). Eligible entries screen at the Sketch Competition Viewing Party on October 16, with Judges Pick and People's Choice prizes. Details at scarystrangers.com/sketch-competition.