Bristol Comedy Festival 2026
Following a successful debut in 2025, the festival returned, bringing the very best in comedy to Bristol and celebrating the city’s thriving & ever-growing scene.
Date
15 - 31 January
Sabrina Shutter
Senior Events Project Manager
Over the course of two weeks, Bristol Comedy Festival once again took over venues across the city centre (and beyond!) for a festival that included everything from intimate work-in-progress gigs in bars, to big names off the telly filling some of Bristol’s biggest and most iconic venues.
Sponsored by Bristol BID, the event also supported emerging talent through comedy competitions, open calls, and collaborations with local venues, as well as raising vital funds for TAP for Bristol.
About
Run by a small team from the local comedy scene, The Bristol Comedy Festival was established to champion Bristol’s thriving comedy scene and showcase both emerging and established talent.
Following a successful inaugural year that brought together hundreds of comedy fans, performers and venues, the event returned in 2026 to celebrate the creativity and diversity of Bristol’s performers, while introducing new acts and partnerships that made the festival’s second edition bigger and bolder.
The lineup
The 2026 lineup was awash with familiar names like Bristol’s Jayde Adams, author and funny man Mark Watson, critically acclaimed stand-up and podcaster Milo Edwards and breakout winner of ‘So You Think You’re Funny’, Finlay Christie.
If that’s not enough, five nominees for the 2025 Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show also performed: Dan Tiernan, Ed Night, John Tothill, Katie Norris and Roger O’Sullivan.
Overall, this year’s festival featured 166 shows, with over 10,000 tickets sold.
The venues
In 2026, the festival took over 36 Bristol venues, including The Crown, Mr Wolfs, The Gaffe Comedy Club, Seamus O’Donnells, Famous Royal Navy Volunteer, Small Bar, Granary Club, Kongs, Hey Dude Bar, The Hatchet, Bristol Central Library, Avery’s Wine Merchants and Strange Brew.
TAP for Bristol
The Bristol Comedy Festival also fundraised for TAP for Bristol. Ticket buyers had the option to donate, and MCs and comics throughout the festival talked about the important work the charity supports in the city.
King Street Takeover also returned with comics running between as many venues as possible on the famous cobbled street, putting on ‘donate-what-you-want’ shows, with all profits going to TAP for Bristol.
In total, the festival raised £5,826.37 through public donations, with The Bristol Comedy Festival topping this up to £6,000.
Latest news
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