List of Comedy Festivals
Here is a list of the main comedy festivals in the UK.
Ongoing festivals
Underbelly Festival Southbank
Running until Sunday 29th September.
A tented venue set up near the Southbank Centre in London, running through much of Spring and Summer.
May
Lichfield Comedy Festival
Thursday 2nd May to Sunday 5th May.
A full day of entertainment and comedy for all the family in Beacon Park.
Machynlleth Comedy Festival
Friday 3rd May to Sunday 5th May.
The 'secret festival' in Wales. A wide variety of acts perform over the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Manford's Blackpool Comedy Festival
Friday 10th May to Sunday 12th May.
The inaugural Manford's Blackpool Comedy Festival will feature acts including Jason Manford, Josh Bishop, Sean Lock and Milton Jones.
Hay Festival
Thursday 23rd May to Sunday 2nd June.
Located in Wales, with mainly literary based events. Comedians often read their books here.
Bath Fringe
Friday 24th May to Sunday 9th June.
People talking (usually one at a time) at a microphone. Often funny, occasionally profound.
HowTheLightGetsIn Festival (Hay-on-Wye)
Friday 24th May to Monday 27th May.
A five-day festival of philosophy and music, including a selection of great comic talent.
Wells Comedy Festival
Friday 24th May to Sunday 26th May.
Many of the best acts flock to this well-regarded Somerset-based festival.
June
Wychwood Festival (Cheltenham)
Friday 31st May to Sunday 2nd June.
This festival's comedy offering is a small but perfectly-formed line-up.
Hastings Fringe Comedy Festival
Wednesday 12th June to Sunday 16th June.
The Hastings Fringe is an independent, free festival featuring a range of comedy stars.
Big Funny Fest (Richmond)
Saturday 15th June to Sunday 16th June.
The inaugural Big Funny Fest, set in Old Deer Park in Richmond Upon Thames.
Appearing: Jason Byrne, Luisa Omielan, Mark Watson, Nish Kumar, Adam Hess, Dan Skinner, Darren Harriott, Desiree Burch, Glenn Moore, Hal Cruttenden and others.
Ludlow Fringe Festival
Saturday 15th June to Sunday 30th June.
A bunch of comedy shows to enjoy in the Shropshire market town.
Brighton Comedy Garden
Wednesday 19th June to Sunday 23rd June.
The first Brighton Comedy Garden plants its roots in June 2019 with five nights of stand-up.
Glastonbury Festival
Wednesday 26th June to Sunday 30th June.
Comedians can always be found at Glastonbury in the various comedy-related performance areas.
Petworth Fringe
Wednesday 26th June to Sunday 7th July.
A season of events in Petworth, West Sussex. Notably, this fringe festival includes the biggest comedy prize in the country: £10,001.
July
Guildford Fringe Festival
Friday 28th June to Sunday 28th July.
Lots of comedy shows take place in Guildford across July.
Greater Manchester Fringe
Monday 1st July to Wednesday 31st July.
The Greater Manchester Fringe takes place across July.
The Tringe (Tring)
Monday 1st July to Tuesday 30th July.
A series of Edinburgh Festival preview shows performed in the Hertfordshire market town of Tring.
Bristol Comedy Garden
Wednesday 3rd July to Sunday 7th July.
Queen Square, in the heart of Bristol, is transformed into a comedy wonderland in June complete with legendary line-ups in the Big Top and Apple Top venues.
Buxton Festival Fringe
Wednesday 3rd July to Wednesday 24th July.
One of the largest open-access arts festivals in the country.
Cornbury Festival (Oxfordshire)
Friday 5th July to Sunday 7th July.
This Oxfordshire festival features stand-up alongside various musical performances.
Henley Festival
Wednesday 10th July to Sunday 14th July.
A posh festival that attracts a number of top comedy headliners.
Bedford Festival Fringe
Monday 15th July to Saturday 27th July.
Events take place at The Quarry Theatre and The Place Theatre.
Larmer Tree Festival (South)
Thursday 18th July to Sunday 21st July.
A festival in Cranborne Chase, straddling Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
Latitude (Suffolk)
Thursday 18th July to Sunday 21st July.
Easily one of the best comedy line-ups in the country. This festival - featuring multiple areas for comedy - attracts both big name headliners and lesser known alternative acts.
Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival
Thursday 18th July to Sunday 21st July.
The Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival has been running since 2017.
The Great Yorkshire Fringe
Thursday 18th July to Sunday 28th July.
A festival that takes place in the centre of York.
Curious Arts Festival (Hampshire)
Friday 19th July to Sunday 21st July.
An arts festival in the heart of rural Hampshire.
Rewind Scotland (Perth)
Friday 19th July to Sunday 21st July.
A three-part series of festivals covering the UK. This is the Scottish instalment, taking place in Perth.
Tramlines (Sheffield)
Friday 19th July to Sunday 21st July.
A three-day festival in Sheffield, including music and comedy.
Camp Bestival (Dorset)
Thursday 25th July to Sunday 28th July.
Based around Lulworth Castle in Dorset, this festival normally books a couple of big headline comedy acts.
Kendal Calling
Thursday 25th July to Sunday 28th July.
A festival at Lowther Deer Park in The Lake District.
Port Eliot Festival
Thursday 25th July to Sunday 28th July.
Based in St Germans, Cornwall, one of the venues features a number of comedy bookings.
Standon Calling (Hertfordshire)
Thursday 25th July to Sunday 28th July.
A festival of music, comedy and family-friendly entertainment.
Y Not Festival (Derbyshire)
Thursday 25th July to Sunday 28th July.
Y Not? is a Peak District music festival with some great comedy names also performing.
Crieff Comedy Festival
Friday 26th July to Sunday 28th July.
A long weekend of comedy in the Scottish town of Crieff.
Deer Shed Festival (North Yorkshire)
Friday 26th July to Monday 29th July.
An annual festival at Baldersby Park, Topcliffe, North Yorkshire.
August
The Camden Fringe
Monday 29th July to Sunday 25th August.
Running for a month in North London, this festival involves lots of comedians playing across 25 different venues.
Wilderness Festival (Oxfordshire)
Thursday 1st August to Sunday 4th August.
Based in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, this festival has booked some big name comedians in previous years.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Friday 2nd August to Monday 26th August.
Thousands - literally thousands - of comedians appear at this festival each year. Check out BCG's comprehensive coverage
Rewind North (Cheshire)
Friday 2nd August to Sunday 4th August.
A three-part series of festivals covering the UK. This is the Northern instalment, taking place in Cheshire.
Green Man (Brecon Beacons)
Thursday 15th August to Sunday 18th August.
This festival takes place in the Brecon Beacons in Wales. It's popular with comedians and so a number appear at the festival each year.
Rewind South (Henley-on-Thames)
Friday 16th August to Sunday 18th August.
A three-part series of festivals covering the UK. This is the Southern instalment, taking place in Oxfordshire.
Lost Village
Thursday 22nd August to Sunday 25th August.
Lost Village is an otherworldly 4-day festival experience set in an abandoned woodland village. The festival includes, food, music, workshops and comedy from both household and acclaimed but lesser-known acts.
Byline Festival (East Sussex)
Friday 23rd August to Monday 26th August.
Festival in the woodlands of Pippingford Park, Ashdown Forest, near the A22 in East Sussex.
Reading & Leeds Festivals
Friday 23rd August to Sunday 25th August.
The biggest music and comedy acts appear together at the same dual-location, 2-day festival event.
Victorious Festival (Portsmouth)
Friday 23rd August to Sunday 25th August.
Victorious Festival launched its first comedy tent in 2018.
September
Liverpool Comedy Festival
Friday 13th September to Sunday 29th September.
A range of shows across Liverpool city centre and Merseyside.
October
Henley Literary Festival
Saturday 28th September to Sunday 6th October.
Comedians who have written a book are often booked to speak at this festival.
Aberdeen International Comedy Festival
Thursday 3rd October to Sunday 13th October.
The ten-day festival will feature national and international comedians, who will perform throughout the city centre.
Southport Comedy Festival
Thursday 3rd October to Sunday 20th October.
Featuring top acts, a Children's Comedy Festival, a competition for new comedians, and more.
Birmingham Comedy Festival
Friday 4th October to Sunday 13th October.
Over 70 comedy performances take place across the city each October.
Funny Things (Wolverhampton)
Saturday 26th October to Saturday 2nd November.
Wolverhampton's comedy festival. The 2017 event featured over 120 events across 16 venues, celebrating Black Country humour.
November
Hull Comedy Festival
Friday 1st November to Thursday 14th November.
Fun across various venues in the centre of Hull.
February 2020
Leicester Comedy Festival
Wednesday 5th February to Sunday 23rd February.
One of the country's biggest comedy festivals.
March 2020
Glasgow International Comedy Festival
Thursday 12th March to Sunday 29th March.
Many top names perform in Glasgow in March.
Other festivals
The following festivals have yet to confirm their next dates.
Aberystwyth Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in October.
A new comedy festival from the team that organise Machynlleth.
ARG Com Fest (London)
This festival last took place in July.
The Actually Rather Good Comedy Festival (aka ARGComFest) hosts lots of preview shows each July in Shoreditch, ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Balham Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in April.
Based at The Bedford in Balham, this festival attracts a number of great names. Usually held in July, 2018's festival was a 'pint-sized' April event ahead of the venue's Summer refurbishment.
Big Mouth Comedy Festival (Portsmouth)
This festival last took place in March.
A comedy festival at the Guildhall venue, running in 2019 over 2 consecutive weekends.
Birmingham Improv Festival
This festival last took place in October.
Established in 2016, this is an annual week-long festival of improvisational comedy.
Cambridge Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in July.
A festival in Cambridge, which has been occurring for more than a decade.
Cheltenham Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in September.
A bunch of comedy shows for Cheltenham in September. The festival takes place at various venues throughout Cheltenham including The Town Hall, Parabola Arts Centre, Beehive Pub and The Strand.
Comedy Central Live
This festival last took place in October.
A new festival from the TV network, the inaugural event took place in Southampton in early October 2018.
Cornwall Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in August.
Also known as Stand Up In The Wylds. Located near Bude in North Cornwall.
Darlington Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in July.
The Darlington Comedy Festival usually runs from early July for a month.
Deli Comedy Festival (London)
This festival last took place in July.
A month of shows at Theatre Deli's London venues.
Ealing Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in July.
The Ealing Comedy Festival takes place over several nights in July, in Walpole Park.
Eastern European Comedy Festival (London)
This festival last took place in February.
The first Eastern European Comedy Festival ran for 5 days at the end of February 2018, in London.
Edinburgh International Improv Festival
This festival last took place in February.
Scotland's first and only festival of improv. Acts include Abdandoman and the Spontaneous Players.
Ellesmere Port Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in March.
2019 was the inaugural year of the Ellesmere Port Comedy Festival, held at the town's Civic Hall with a packed line-up.
Festival Number 6 (North Wales)
This festival last took place in September.
A classy festival in Portmeirion, North Wales. See their website for line-up news. 2018 will be the festival's last year for the foreseeable future.
Greenwich Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in September.
One of London's biggest comedy festivals, with lots of well-known acts performing each year.
Ha-Ha-Hartlepool Festival Of Laughs
This festival last took place in July.
Comedy previews hosted in One77, right in the heart of Hartlepool. Dubbed "a prequel to Edinburgh, but cheaper".
Halifax Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in October.
Sara Pascoe, Richard Herring and Lee Nelson appeared at the 2017 festival.
HighTide
This festival last took place in September.
A festival organised by HighTide Theatre that took place in Suffolk's Aldeburgh and London's Walthamstow.
HowTheLightGetsIn Festival (London)
This festival last took place in September.
Comedy from a range of great talent you might not yet have seen on television.
Jesterval (North East)
This festival last took place in July.
A comedy festival in the North East, Jesterval continues to feature some of the most exciting and finest comedians working in the UK today.
Kaleidoscope (London)
This festival last took place in July.
A one-day festival at the Alexandra Park and Palace in London.
Knebworth Winter Festival
This festival last took place in November.
Comedy from a range of great stand-ups, and more.
Laugh Out London Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in July.
A bunch of comedy shows based at The Old Queens Head in Angel.
Leamington Spa Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in October.
The Leamington Spa Comedy Festival takes place in October.
Leave 'Em Laughing (London)
This festival last took place in July.
Based at Stanley Halls in South Norwood, this festival features 50 shows over two nights and one day. "A mini Edinburgh Festival without the 8 hour journey!"
Make More (London)
This festival last took place in August.
A festival for "makers and doers" in Victoria Park, London.
Manchester Podcast Festival
This festival last took place in October.
Live recordings of the best podcasts from the UK, in a variety of venues in the city. Russell Kane, Sofie Hagen and Richard Herring are involved in this first year.
Milton Keynes International Festival
This festival last took place in July.
10 days of new outdoor theatre, large and small-scale performance, circus, stand-up comedy, live music, family activities and free events.
Nottingham Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in November.
Nottingham Comedy Festival is an open access festival where acts of all levels and types of comedy are welcome to apply.
Objectively Funny Festival (London)
This festival last took place in September.
A festival in central London (The Albany on Great Portland Street). 2018's line-up comprises 42 shows over 10 days.
Oxford Festival Fringe Preview Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in July.
26 different Edinburgh preview shows were held over 35 days at The Jam Factory venue in 2018, and this year the organisers promise to return.
Slapstick Festival
This festival last took place in February.
The 2019 festival will take place in February, but the Gala takes place on the 10th February. Details
South Tyneside Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in July.
The aim of this festival is to put incredible comics on, doing their festival shows, at affordable prices.
Storyhouse Comedy Weekend (Chester)
This festival last took place in October.
A weekend of comedy in one venue, first held in October 2018.
UK Jewish Comedy Festival (London)
This festival last took place in December.
JW3's Jewish Comedy Festival, in West Hampstead (London), features a mix of performances, workshops and events.
Vault Festival (London)
This festival last took place in January.
Running across several months early in the year, Vault Festival is described as "London's answer to Edinburgh's Fringe".
ZEAL: The Pride Improv Festival (London)
This festival last took place in July.
A series of shows linked to London's Pride festival. Located at The Cavendish Arms over three nights, the festival line-up includes acts from London to The Netherlands and features everything from comedy to drama and musicals to drag acts.