List of Comedy Festivals
Here is a list of the main comedy festivals in the UK.
Ongoing festivals
Southport Comedy Festival
Running until Sunday 20th October
Featuring top acts, a Children's Comedy Festival, a competition for new comedians, and more.
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.
Nottingham Comedy Festival
Friday 1st November to Sunday 10th November
Nottingham Comedy Festival is an open access festival where acts of all levels and types of comedy are welcome to apply.
February 2020
Slapstick Festival (Bristol)
Friday 24th January to Sunday 26th January
An annual celebration of slapstick comedy.
Appearing: Barry Cryer, Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden, Harry Hill, Rob Brydon, Robin Ince, Stephen Merchant, Tim Brooke-Taylor
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.
April 2020
Bath Comedy Festival
Tuesday 31st March to Sunday 19th April
Bath Comedy Festival gets bigger each year.
West Didsbury Comedy Festival (Manchester)
Friday 24th April to Sunday 26th April
A new festival for 2020, due to take place in the Manchester suburb. The open-to-all long weekend will feature festival favourites, TV comedians, rising stars and local talent.
May 2020
Machynlleth Comedy Festival
Friday 1st May to Sunday 3rd May
The 'secret festival' in Wales. A wide variety of acts perform over the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Hay Festival
Thursday 21st May to Sunday 31st May
Located in Wales, with mainly literary based events. Comedians often read their books here.
Bath Fringe
Friday 22nd May to Sunday 7th June
People talking (usually one at a time) at a microphone. Often funny, occasionally profound.
Wychwood Festival (Cheltenham)
Friday 29th May to Sunday 31st May
This festival's comedy offering is a small but perfectly-formed line-up.
Other festivals
The following festivals have yet to confirm their next dates.
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".
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.
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.
Underbelly Festival Southbank
This festival last took place in April
A tented venue set up near the Southbank Centre in London, running through much of Spring and Summer.
HowTheLightGetsIn (Hay-on-Wye)
This festival last took place in May
A five-day festival of philosophy and music, including a selection of great comic talent.
Lichfield Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in May
A full day of entertainment and comedy for all the family in Beacon Park.
Manford's Blackpool Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in May
The inaugural Manford's Blackpool Comedy Festival was held in May 2019.
Wells Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in May
Many of the best acts flock to this well-regarded Somerset-based festival.
Attic Arts Club (London)
This festival last took place in June
Festival taking place in the Upper Norwood Library Hub in Crystal Palace.
Big Funny Fest (Richmond)
This festival last took place in June
The inaugural Big Funny Fest, set in Old Deer Park in Richmond Upon Thames.
Brighton Comedy Garden
This festival last took place in June
The first Brighton Comedy Garden plants its roots in June 2019 with five nights of stand-up.
Glastonbury Festival
This festival last took place in June
Comedians can always be found at Glastonbury in the various comedy-related performance areas.
Go Faster Stripe (Cardiff)
This festival last took place in June
A weekend festival run by DVD company Go Faster Stripe.
Guildford Fringe Festival
This festival last took place in June
Lots of comedy shows take place in Guildford across July.
Hastings Fringe Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in June
The Hastings Fringe is an independent, free festival featuring a range of comedy stars.
Ludlow Fringe Festival
This festival last took place in June
A bunch of comedy shows to enjoy in the Shropshire market town.
Oxford Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in June
A month-long comedy festival happening throughout July. The organisers are presenting some of the best comedians headed to Edinburgh and other large festivals.
Petworth Fringe
This festival last took place in June
A season of events in Petworth, West Sussex. Notably, this fringe festival includes the biggest comedy prize in the country: £10,001.
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 July
Based at The Bedford in Balham, this festival always offer up one of the best line-ups of the summer.
Bedford Festival Fringe
This festival last took place in July
Events take place at The Quarry Theatre and The Place Theatre.
Bristol Comedy Garden
This festival last took place in 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
This festival last took place in July
One of the largest open-access arts festivals in the country.
Camp Bestival (Dorset)
This festival last took place in July
Based around Lulworth Castle in Dorset, this festival normally books a couple of big headline comedy acts.
Cornbury Festival (Oxfordshire)
This festival last took place in July
This Oxfordshire festival features stand-up alongside various musical performances.
Crieff Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in July
The Crieff Comedy Festival is back with a bang. Taking place between 26th & 28th July at various venues throughout the Perthshire town. The line up includes Fred MacAulay; Janey Godley; Des Clarke; The Glasgow Trip featuring Des McLean and Gary Little; Jojo Sutherland; Phil Differ and the comedy, magic, burlesque show Enterteasement.
Curious Arts Festival (Hampshire)
This festival last took place in July
An arts festival in the heart of rural Hampshire.
Darlington Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in July
The Darlington Comedy Festival usually runs from early July for a month.
Deer Shed Festival (North Yorkshire)
This festival last took place in July
An annual festival at Baldersby Park, Topcliffe, North Yorkshire.
Deli Comedy Festival (London)
This festival last took place in July
A month of shows at Theatre Deli's London venues (The Old Library in Camberwell and Theatre Deli in Finsbury Avenue).
Ealing Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in July
The Ealing Comedy Festival takes place over several nights in July, in Walpole Park.
Greater Manchester Fringe
This festival last took place in July
The Greater Manchester Fringe takes place across July.
Henley Festival
This festival last took place in July
A posh festival that attracts a number of top comedy headliners.
Kaleidoscope (London)
This festival last took place in July
A one-day festival at the Alexandra Park and Palace in London.
Kendal Calling
This festival last took place in July
A festival at Lowther Deer Park in The Lake District.
Larmer Tree Festival (South)
This festival last took place in July
A festival in Cranborne Chase, straddling Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
Latitude (Suffolk)
This festival last took place in 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.
Marlowe Comedy Festival (Canterbury)
This festival last took place in July
A celebration of all things funny at The Marlowe theatre in Canterbury.
Port Eliot Festival
This festival last took place in July
Based in St Germans, Cornwall, one of the venues features a number of comedy bookings.
Rewind Scotland (Perth)
This festival last took place in July
A three-part series of festivals covering the UK. This is the Scottish instalment, taking place in Perth.
Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in July
The Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival has been running since 2017.
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.
Standon Calling (Hertfordshire)
This festival last took place in July
A festival of music, comedy and family-friendly entertainment.
The Camden Fringe
This festival last took place in July
Running for a month in North London, this festival involves lots of comedians playing across 25 different venues.
The Great Yorkshire Fringe
This festival last took place in July
A festival that takes place in the centre of York.
The Tringe (Hertfordshire)
This festival last took place in July
A series of Edinburgh Festival preview shows performed in the Hertfordshire market town of Tring.
Tramlines (Sheffield)
This festival last took place in July
A three-day festival in Sheffield, including music and comedy.
Words In Progress
This festival last took place in July
A two-day Edinburgh Fringe preview showcase at Stoke Newington's Tower Theatre in north London.
Y Not Festival (Derbyshire)
This festival last took place in July
Y Not? is a Peak District music festival with some great comedy names also performing.
Byline Festival (East Sussex)
This festival last took place in August
Festival in the woodlands of Pippingford Park, Ashdown Forest, near the A22 in East Sussex.
Cornwall Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in August
Also known as Stand Up In The Wylds. Located near Bude in North Cornwall.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
This festival last took place in August
Thousands - literally thousands - of comedians appear at this festival each year. Check out BCG's comprehensive coverage
Green Man (Brecon Beacons)
This festival last took place in 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.
Livewire Festival (Blackpool)
This festival last took place in August
Livewire Festival's Thursday evening slot is a celebration of British Comedy, all performing next to Blackpool's iconic Comedy Carpet.
Lost Village
This festival last took place in 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.
Make More (London)
This festival last took place in August
A festival for "makers and doers" in Victoria Park, London.
Reading & Leeds Festivals
This festival last took place in August
The biggest music and comedy acts appear together at the same dual-location, 2-day festival event.
Rewind North (Cheshire)
This festival last took place in August
A three-part series of festivals covering the UK. This is the Northern instalment, taking place in Cheshire.
Rewind South (Henley-on-Thames)
This festival last took place in August
A three-part series of festivals covering the UK. This is the Southern instalment, taking place in Oxfordshire.
Victorious Festival (Portsmouth)
This festival last took place in August
Victorious Festival launched its first comedy tent in 2018.
Wilderness Festival (Oxfordshire)
This festival last took place in August
Based in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, this festival has booked some big name comedians in previous years.
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.
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.
Henley Literary Festival
This festival last took place in September
Comedians who have written a book are often booked to speak at this 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 (London)
This festival last took place in September
Comedy from a range of great talent you might not yet have seen on television.
Live @ The RSC (Stratford-upon-Avon)
This festival last took place in September
Twenty-two of the country's top comedians, fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, play the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage across two weekends.
Liverpool Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in September
A range of shows across Liverpool city centre and Merseyside.
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.
Winchester Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in September
Ten days of comedy in a number of venues across the Hampshire city, including the Theatre Royal.
Aberdeen International Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in October
The ten-day festival will feature national and international comedians, who will perform throughout the city centre.
Aberystwyth Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in October
A new comedy festival from the team that organise Machynlleth.
Birmingham Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in October
Over 70 comedy performances take place across the city each October.
Birmingham Improv Festival
This festival last took place in October
Established in 2016, this is an annual week-long festival of improvisational comedy.
Halifax Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in October
Sara Pascoe, Richard Herring and Lee Nelson appeared at the 2017 festival.
Leamington Spa Comedy Festival
This festival last took place in October
The Leamington Spa Comedy Festival takes place in October.
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.
Storyhouse Comedy Weekend (Chester)
This festival last took place in October
A weekend of comedy in one venue, first held in October 2018.
Women in Comedy Festival (Manchester)
This festival last took place in October
A Manchester-based festival featuring female acts.
Knebworth Winter Festival
This festival last took place in November
Comedy from a range of great stand-ups, and more.
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.