CanTeen Canned Laughter 2009

What do cancer and comedy have in common? Not much indeed, unless it's for charity. Yes, the annual Canned Laughter comedy night is on again, and this time with more laughs then you can shake a stick at. Now in its fourth year, all money raised from ticket sales goes directly to CanTeen, the long-established Australian organisation devoted to helping young people dealing with cancer. With some of the biggest names in the funny business – including Rove McManus, Peter Helliar, Merrick & Rosso, Akmal Saleh, The Kransky Sisters and Kitty Flanagan just to name a few - aiming to raise some laughs and up to 150,000 big ones for a vital cause, it sure beats a Friday night out at your local.

And it seems the comedy-for-a-cause fever is catching on: "Every year the crowd gets bigger and the laughs get longer," says CanTeen's CEO, Andrew Young. The three-hour event, which aims to draw an audience of 2,000, has also garnered support from Qantas, Industrie and Tripoint. So get in early to be a lucky ticket holder, and crack a smile for a good cause. Millie Churcher

Canned Laughter takes over the Hordern Pavilion on Fri 6 Nov. (www.canteen.org.au).