Newcastle has a writers' festival, an arts festival, a beer festival and even a podcast festival, and now it has its own comedy festival thanks to Big Dog Comedy's Andrew Milos.
The month-long Newcastle Comedy Festival kicks off Friday night at the Civic Theatre with a special gala performance starring the likes of Andy Saunders, Daniel Muggleton and Lawrence Mooney.
For Mr Milos, who founded Big Dog Comedy six years ago, the festival is a labour of love he hopes will put his home city on Australia's comedy festival map.
His uncle was a stand-up comedian in the 1990s and he used to sneak in to comedy clubs as a child to watch him on stage.
"Every comic I've got on the bill is coming fresh from the Sydney and Melbourne comedy festival circuit, people like Luke Heggie, Cam Knight and Michelle Brasier," he said.
"They've done four weeks in Melbourne and a couple of weeks in Sydney and Newcastle is their last stop, so we're getting the best version of their shows. The gala night is the best line-up I've had; everyone on there is red-hot at the moment."
The line-up is a mix of experienced acts and fresh faces. Amos Gill, for example, has just returned to Australia after supporting Jim Jeffries in the US. Friday's gala will be his first performance on home soil for many months.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what the crowd thinks of him," Mr Milos said.
"Since the first festival three years ago I've concentrated more on theatre shows and getting bigger acts to Newcastle - I'm shooting for the stars. Everything I do as Big Dog Comedy is now feeding into the festival, and it's starting to feel like a special thing."
There are still a few tickets available to Friday's gala performance at the Civic, which starts at 8pm.
"The gala is great; you see a smorgasbord of comedians and get a taste of each of their sets. You never know what you're going to get, but with 14 acts, you definitely get your fill." Visit newcastlecomedyfest.com for details
