Comedy / Bristol Comedy Festival
Bristol Comedy Festival 2026 set to be bigger than ever
Co-produced by Bristol BID and now cemented in the latter half of January – Bristol Comedy Festival is well-placed to bring some much-needed laughter at a very apposite time for many.
The event will take place over numerous city centre venues including Basement 45, The Courts, The Granary, The Crown, The Hatchet, and The Gaffe Comedy Club, whose team are the principal organisers of the festival.
Tickets are on sale for a raft of established and emerging comics doing a mix of tour shows, work-in-progress nights, and one-off specials, like the Late Night Comedy Rave that will close the festival.
Featured names include John Tothill, Rajiv Karia, Jin Hao Li, Jayde Adams, Alex Kealy, Sharon Wanjohi, Mark Watson, Olga Koch and Rachel Fairburn.
John Tothill: Behold! The Pig Snuffles His Way Towards a New Show (work-in-progress) is at The Granary on January 18
There will also be a Made in Bristol night celebrating grassroots comedy, and the premiere of brand-new documentary The Home of Comedy, which takes standup fans behind the scenes of how this festival came to be.
Bristol Comedy Festival will be raising money for TAP for Bristol, the citywide project raising funds for local charities supporting those experiencing – or at risk of – homelessness. Optional donations will be available to all patrons when purchasing tickets.
Sharon Wanjohi will be performing a work-in-progress show at The Robin Hood on January 16
“It’s a simple way to enjoy an amazing night out and do something meaningful for the community at the same time”, reflects Sabrina Shutter, the senior project events manager at Bristol BID.
With its emphasis on collaboration between promotors, patrons, volunteers, venues and partners, the programme also hopes to have an impact on community, as well as local business.
Jin Hao Li: Addicted to Time Travel (work-in-progress) is at The Gaffe Comedy Club on January 26
“The Bristol Comedy Festival brings a real buzz to the city at a time of year when Bristol needs it most”, Shutter says.
“It draws people into venues, drives footfall for local businesses and showcases the brilliant creative talent that makes Bristol such a vibrant place to live and visit.”
View this post on Instagram
Bristol Comedy Festival runs from January 15-31. For venue information and tickets to all shows, visit www.thebristolcomedyfestival.com. Follow @thebristolcomedyfestival / @bristolbid for updates.
Main photo: Lea Fuis; others: The Bristol Comedy Festival
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
