Greenwich Comedy Festival
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With several major projects this year , including AEG ’ s Just for Laughs festival at The O2 and Peter Kay ’ s extraordinary 110 date tour , the live comedy sector is performing well despite the economic backdrop . Access investigates
Words : Joe Gallop
Live comedy has been steadily growing in strength at traditional music festivals for several years . It has been a key component of major festivals such as Glastonbury , Latitude and Victorious for some time but is now creeping into the lineups of other outdoor events to play the side act to live music .
While the increase in live comedy at festivals reflects the growing demand from punters for a high quality choice of entertainment during the daytime before headline music acts take to the stage , comedy promoters are seeing increased demand at venues of all shapes and sizes – which is powering the the sector ’ s post-pandemic rebuild .
For an example of the growing focus on live comedy , look no further than AEG Presents appointing its first head of comedy in the UK . Georgie Donnelly , former agent at UTA who also established the comedy department at Kilimanjaro Live , joined AEG in November and has been tasked with exponentially growing the promoter ’ s live comedy market share .
While AEG has dabbled in comedy in the UK , it is now establishing itself as a major player in the market with its first dedicated department , emulating its US-based set up . Donnelly ’ s first project is overseeing the UK debut of longstanding Canadian comedy festival Just For Laughs ( JFL ). Due to take place at the O2 Arena from 2-5 March , the pass-based festival will involve solo shows , live podcast recordings , in conversations and cast panels . The lineup includes Graham Norton , Ryan Reynolds , Katherine Ryan and
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