If you’re a comedy fan, you don’t want to miss out on Asia’s largest comedy festival, sponsored by Magner’s Cider. We got a chance to speak with its founder, Matt Bennett. Find out more about this epic comedy event and what it takes to run it.
Growing Each Year
The festival has expanded each of it’s five years, bringing larger crowds and scaling to new destinations. Magner’s International now takes place in 7 countries: Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam and last but not least, Tokyo.
We have the rare opportunity to ask Matt a few questions about The Bangkok's Fringe's big brother festival, Magner's International Comedy Festival. Both events are fun activities to add to your travels in Asia this year.
ROR: Why did you set up MIFC?
Matt Bennett: There was and still is a demand for more international comedians to come to the region and perform. Magner’s Cider also believed in that and assisted financially with the whole festival. As an event organizer and not a comedian, I saw the need and wanted to be able to attend something like this while living in Asia. I thought, why not, and decided to give it a go.
ROR: What have you learned about working with comedians?
MB: They can be difficult, but most love to entertain the masses and help people look at life in a new way.
ROR: What type of comedy do you love?
MB: Dark and controversial.
ROR: What is running a comedy festival like?
MB: There is much more to running an event like this than people think. I work with 30 venues from a shortlist I’ve whittled down to 60. I interact with 30 different sponsors, 24 comedians, and 10,000 guests in different countries. One thing’s for sure, it’s never boring.
ROR: What are your hopes for the 2018 return of Magner’s International?
MB: I want to bring comedy to more cities and increase our festival size again. Big name headliners, too of course, are always a part of my planning. I’m really excited about Doug Stanhope joining us this time around. He’s someone comedy fans will love and it’s his first time performing in Asia. We’re also putting on a 1,200 seat show in Pattaya at The Royal Cliff, and that will be a first for the city.
ROR: That concludes our interview with Matt Bennett. Make sure to check out his incredible event including the 2018 line up by visiting https://comedyfest.asia. Don't forget to stop by ROR while you're in Osaka, book your seats at our
.