List of Comedy Festivals
Here is a list of the main comedy festivals in the UK.
Ongoing Festivals
Udderbelly Festival
Running until Monday 17th July.
A tented venue set up near the Southbank Centre in London, running through much of Spring and Summer.
Croydon Comedy Festival
Running until Sunday 30th July.
2017 will see the third annual Croydon Comedy Festival.
Ludlow Fringe Festival
Running until Sunday 2nd July.
A bunch of comedy shows to enjoy in the Shropshire market town.
June
Hertford Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in June.
A well-regarded comedy festival that attracts a number of big names.
The Tringe
Normally takes place in June.
A series of Edinburgh Festival preview shows performed in the Hertfordshire market town of Tring.
Bristol Comedy Garden
This year's festival has now finished.
Queen Square, in the heart of Bristol, is transformed into a comedy wonderland complete with legendary line-ups in the Big Top and Apple Top venues.
Glastonbury Festival
This year's festival has now finished.
Comedians can always be found at Glastonbury in the various comedy-related performance areas.
July
Balham Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in July.
Based at The Bedford in Balham, this festival attracts a number of great names. 2017 will be the festival's sixth year.
Barnes Fringe Festival
Normally takes place in July.
Edinburgh may be some 415 miles from Barnes, but for one week only in July, you can catch many of the acts appearing at the world-famous Festival in a series of exclusive previews taking place at the OSO Arts Centre and the Olympic Cinema.
Cambridge Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in July.
A festival in Cambridge. 2017 will be the eleventh year of the festival.
Cardiff Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in July.
Just For Laughs London
Normally takes place in July.
Performances in Russell Square in London. 2016 was the opening year of the festival. A 2017 event has yet to be confirmed.
Laugh Out London Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in July.
A bunch of comedy shows based at The Old Queens Head in Angel.
ARG Com Fest
Due to take place from Saturday 1st July to Sunday 2nd July.
The Actually Rather Good Comedy Festival (aka ARGComFest) hosts lots of preview shows in July in Shoreditch, ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Cornbury Festival
Due to take place from Friday 7th July to Sunday 9th July.
This Oxfordshire festival features stand-up alongside various musical performances.
Henley Festival
Due to take place from Wednesday 5th July to Sunday 9th July.
The 2017 comedy headliners will be announced on 23rd January.
Latitude
Due to take place from Thursday 13th July to Sunday 16th 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.
Buxton Festival Fringe
Due to take place from Wednesday 5th July to Sunday 23rd July.
One of the largest open-access arts festivals in the country.
Deer Shed Festival
Due to take place from Friday 21st July to Sunday 23rd July.
An annual festival at Baldersby Park, Topcliffe, North Yorkshire. The 2017 comedy line-up includes Patrick Monahan, The Noise Next Door and Jarred Christmas.
Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Friday 21st July to Sunday 23rd July.
The inaugural Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival will take place on Friday 21, Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 July across 4 venues in Shrewsbury. Greg Davies will host the Gala.
Ealing Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Thursday 20th July to Friday 28th July.
The Ealing Comedy Festival takes place over several nights in July, in Walpole Park. Top stars taking part include Dara O Briain, Julian Clary, Russell Kane, Rob Beckett and Milton Jones.
Balham Free Fringe Festival
Due to take place from Friday 28th July to Sunday 30th July.
A weekend of totally free comedy shows to support the PBH Free Fringe movement.
Camp Bestival
Due to take place from Thursday 27th July to Sunday 30th July.
Based around Lulworth Castle in Dorset, this festival normally books a couple of big headline comedy acts.
Guildford Fringe Festival
Due to take place from Saturday 1st July to Sunday 30th July.
Lots of comedy shows take place in Guildford across July.
Kendal Calling
Due to take place from Thursday 27th July to Sunday 30th July.
A festival at Lowther Deer Park in The Lake District. Tony Law, Tom Stade, James Acaster, Daniel Sloss and Rob Deering are part of the 2017 line-up.
Port Eliot Festival
Due to take place from Thursday 27th July to Sunday 30th July.
Based in St Germans, Cornwall, one of the venues features a number of comedy bookings.
Greater Manchester Fringe
Due to take place from Saturday 1st July to Monday 31st July.
The 6th Greater Manchester Fringe will take place 1st - 31st July 2017.
Jesterval
Due to take place from Friday 14th July to Sunday 6th August.
Comedy festival in the North East.
South Tyneside Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Wednesday 26th July to Sunday 6th August.
The aim of this festival is to put incredible comics on, doing their festival shows, at affordable prices.
The Great Yorkshire Fringe
Due to take place from Friday 21st July to Sunday 13th August.
A festival that takes place in the centre of York.
Larmer Tree Festival
Due to take place from Friday 20th July to Sunday 22nd July.
A festival in Cranborne Chase (straddling Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire). There will be no festival in 2017, but it is set to return in 2018.
August
Wilderness Festival
Due to take place from Thursday 3rd August to Sunday 6th August.
Based in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, this festival has booked some big name comedians in previous years.
Green Man
Due to take place from Thursday 17th August to Sunday 20th 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.
V Festival
Due to take place from Saturday 19th August to Sunday 20th August.
Runs in Chelmsford in Essex, and Weston Park in Staffordshire. Some of the country's top comedians headline this festival.
Cornwall Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Friday 25th August to Sunday 27th August.
Also known as Stand Up In The Wylds. Located near Bude in North Cornwall. The line-up includes Bill Bailey.
Reading & Leeds Festivals
Due to take place from Friday 25th August to Sunday 27th August.
The biggest music and comedy acts appear together at the same festival.
The Camden Fringe
Due to take place from Monday 31st July to Sunday 27th August.
Running for a month in North London, this festival involves lots of comedians playing across 25 different venues.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Due to take place from Friday 4th August to Monday 28th August.
Thousands - literally thousands - of comedians appear at this festival each year. Check out BCG's comprehensive coverage
September
Cheltenham Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in September.
Laugh East
Normally takes place in September.
A weekend of comedy in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. Acts who have appeared at this festival in the past have included Stewart Lee and Alexei Sayle.
End Of The Road
Due to take place from Thursday 31st August to Sunday 3rd September.
This festival's 2017 line-up includes Joe Lycett, Cardinal Burns, Nish Kumar, David Trent and Desiree Burch.
Festival Number 6
Due to take place from Thursday 7th September to Sunday 10th September.
A classy festival in Portmeirion, North Wales. See their website for line-up news.
Greenwich Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Wednesday 13th September to Sunday 17th September.
One of London's biggest comedy festivals, with lots of well-known acts performing each year.
Liverpool Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Friday 15th September to Sunday 1st October.
Over 100 shows in 25 venues across Liverpool City Centre and Merseyside.
October
Aberdeen Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in October.
Over 60 shows in a wide range of venues in the city centre, including some of Aberdeen's best loved bars, clubs and hotels.
Brighton Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in October.
This festival normally takes place in October, but was last held in 2015.
Leamington Spa Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in October.
The Leamington Spa Comedy Festival last occurred in 2016.
Lincoln Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in October.
Henley Literary Festival
Due to take place from Monday 2nd October to Sunday 8th October.
Comedians who have written a book often are booked to speak at this festival.
Birmingham Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Friday 6th October to Sunday 15th October.
Over 70 comedy performances across the city.
Colchester Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Friday 13th October to Sunday 22nd October.
16 days of mirth and laughter programmed at venues all over Colchester.
Southport Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Thursday 5th October to Sunday 22nd October.
Featuring top acts, a Children's Comedy Festival, a competition for new comedians, and more.
Halifax Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Friday 20th October to Saturday 28th October.
Jimmy Carr, Romesh Ranganathan and Al Murray are amongst the stars who have performed at this festival in the past.
Gloucester Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Thursday 26th October to Sunday 29th October.
The first Gloucester Comedy Festival took place in 2016. It's expected to return in 2017.
Women in Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Thursday 19th October to Sunday 29th October.
A Manchester-based festival featuring female acts. In 2016, there were over 100 shows involved.
November
Hull Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in November.
Two weeks of fun across seven venues in the centre of Hull.
Nottingham Comedy Festival
Due to take place from Friday 3rd November to Saturday 11th November.
December
UK Jewish Comedy Festival
Normally takes place in December.
JW3's Jewish Comedy Festival, in West Hampstead (London), features a mix of performances, workshops and events. A 2017 event has yet to be confirmed.
January 2018
Slapstick Festival
Scheduled to take place from Friday 26th January to Sunday 28th January 2018.
The Young Ones and Victoria Wood were amongst the comedy celebrated at Bristol's 2017 festival. We look forward to the 2018 events.
Vault Festival
This festival normally takes place in January.
Running across several months in the Spring, Vault Festival is described as "London's answer to Edinburgh's Fringe".
February 2018
Leicester Comedy Festival
Scheduled to take place from Wednesday 7th February to Sunday 25th February 2018.
One of the country's biggest comedy festivals. See their website for the latest line-up.
Shoreditch Improv Festival
This festival normally takes place in February.
A small festival at The Water Poet in London's Shoreditch focused around improv groups.
March 2018
Glasgow International Comedy Festival
Scheduled to take place from Thursday 8th March to Sunday 25th March 2018.
Many top names are performing in Glasgow in March. See the website for the full line-up.
April 2018
April Fools Barnsley Comedy Fest
This festival normally takes place in April.
As the name suggests, this festival takes place in April.
Bath Comedy Festival
This festival normally takes place in April.
The 9th annual Festival boasts an amazing mixture of entertainment for everyone from baby buggy to Zimmer frame, starring famous names alongside exciting newcomers, with over 180 performers in total!
Machynlleth Comedy Festival
This festival normally takes place in April.
The 'secret festival' in Wales. A wide variety of acts perform over the bank holiday weekend.
That's Fife! Festival
This festival normally takes place in April.
The fun is back in Fife for a third year. Comedians include Russell Kane, Alan Davies and Chris Ramsey.
Udderbelly Festival
This festival normally takes place in April.
A tented venue set up near the Southbank Centre in London, running through much of Spring and Summer.
May 2018
Bath Fringe
This festival normally takes place in May.
People talking (usually one at a time) at a microphone. Often funny, often profound.
Brighton Fringe
This festival normally takes place in May.
Lots of shows, many of them work-in-progress gigs.
Derby Comedy Festival
This festival normally takes place in May.
The second Derby comedy festival will occur in 2017.
Hay Festival
This festival normally takes place in May.
Located in Wales, with mainly literary based events. Comedians often read their books there.
Leeds Comedy Festival
This festival normally takes place in May.
Leeds Comedy Festival will return in June 2017.
London Clown Festival
This festival normally takes place in May.
Based around The Omnibus at Manor House, this festival explores what clown is to the modern performer and their audiences.
Wells Comedy Festival
This festival normally takes place in May.
Stewart Lee, Milton Jones, Joe Lycett, James Acaster, Bridget Christie and Sara Pascoe are amongst the comedians taking part in this Somerset-based festival.