Wil Anderson, Tom Ballard, Becky Lucas & More Bring The Laughs To SITG 2016

While it's pretty much taken as read that the majority of Splendour's punter base spends the entire festival in varying states of sobriety, there's always a solid contingent that keep things lucid enough to engage with the always-entertaining spread on offer at the Splendour Forum and Comedy Club, and 2016 is shaping up to be no different.

Those looking for entertainment on the lighter side are spoiled for choice with this year's stand-up offerings, with veteran Oz comic Wil Anderson leading the charge of funny-people bound for North Byron Parklands, a cohort that includes the likes of contemporaries Tom Ballard, Becky Lucas, Matt Okine, Geraldine Hickey and many others, as well as a showing from YouTube stars Aunty Donna and a live taping from podcast faves Little Dum Dum Club.

If you're chasing something a little more cerebral, the Forum is where you'll want to be. No matter your interests, there's something to massage your grey matter, whether it be kicking back with beloved science nerd Dr Karl Kruszelnicki at Great Moments In Science; attending the seventh iteration of perennial favourite Women Of Letters, with Marieke Hardy, Emilie Zoey Baker, Montaigne, Wafia, Liz Drummond (Little May), Nicole Millar, Becky Lucas, filmmaker Eva Orner and more; or #auspol'ing it up at Splendour's own edition of Q&A, hosted by Tony Jones and featuring appearances from deputy PM Barnaby Joyce and Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, among others. (You can submit your questions via email, or get in using the #qandasitg hashtag.

Still not sated? Despair not: you can gorge your mind with comedian Lawrence Leung and musician Ngaiire at the philosophical School Of Life and its Secular Sermons; confront the shadowy world of automated warfare at Drones: Human Hunting, hosted by Dr Suelette Dreyfus; spend time hearing about songwriting from renowned musos Sam Cromack (Ball Park Music), Sam Hales (The Jungle Giants) and Alex Lahey; break down the great mainstream TV breakdown with Tom Ballard at Breaking Bland, featuring a panel including Skins creator Bryan Elsley, Deb Cox (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries), Rosie Lourde, Mike Jones and Billie Pleffer; have your eyes opened by a screening of Eva Orner's poignant documentary Chasing Asylum (followed by a Q&A with Lindsay 'The Doctor' McDougall); or spend time with The Doctor to discuss how to Unfuck The Planet, with assistance from noted environmentalists Charlie Wood, Nicola Paris, Ariane Wilkinson, Caro Shields and Melbourne Ska Orchestra frontman/former John Butler Trio drummer Nicky Bomba.

Between all that and the musical line-up — which, we're sure we don't need to remind you, includes a ridiculously impressive batch of acts — this year's Splendour In The Grass is all set to maintain its reputation for being a next-level smorgasbord of high-quality activities, all of which have helped to make it the unmissable annual event that it is.

The 2016 Splendour In The Grass festival hits North Byron Parklands from Friday 22 July to Sunday 24 July.

Splendour Forum

Breaking Bland
Hosted by Tom Ballard
Featuring Bryan Elsley (Skins), Deb Cox (Deadlock, Seachange, East Of Everything, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries), Rosie Lourde (Starting From… Now!), Mike Jones (The Kettering Incident, Wastelander Panda, Inside Out) and Billie Pleffer (Bino, Baby Baby)

Chasing Asylum — film screening & panel
Hosted by Lindsay "The Doctor" McDougall
Featuring director Eva Orner and Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young

Songwriters Speak
Hosted by Robbie Buck
Featuring Sam Cromack (Ball Park Music), Sam Hales (The Jungle Giants) and Alex Lahey

Women Of Letters: Splendour Edition VII
Hosted by Marieke Hardy and Emilie Zoey Baker
Featuring Montaigne, Wafia, Liz Drummond (Little May), Nicole Millar, Becky Lucas, Eva Orner and more

How To Unfuck The Planet
Hosted by Lindsay "The Doctor" McDougall
Featuring Charlie Wood (350.org), Nicola Paris (CounterAct), Ariane Wilkinson (Environmental Justice Australia), Caro Shields (Be An Unfucker) and Nicky Bomba (Melbourne Ska Orchestra, ex-John Butler Trio)

Drones: Human Hunting
Hosted by Dr Suelette Dreyfus

The School Of Life Presents Lawrence Leung & Ngaiire On (Not) Knowing
Hosted by Lawrence Leung and Ngaiire

Great Moments In Science
Hosted by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

Q&A
Hosted by Tony Jones
Featuring Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young

Splendour Comedy

• Wil Anderson
• Tom Ballard
• Matt Okine
• Michael Hing
• Luke McGregor
• Aunty Donna
• Justin Hamilton
• Becky Lucas
• Luke Heggie
• Tom Dassalo
• Demi Lardner
• Geraldine Hickey
• Karl Chandler
• Little Dum Dum Club
• Dilruk Jayasinha
• Danielle Walker
• Aaron Gocs
• Penny Greenhalgh
• James Colley
• Ciaran Lyons
• Jen Carnovale
• Josh Glanc
• Aaron Chen