James Ralls
When comparing comedy with music at festivals , Randolph says the main difference is that audiences want to hear the same song repeatedly in a live format , but that is very rarely the case with jokes .
“ That ’ s the main balancing act with regards to all these platforms comedians are using , it ’ s so impressive they are churning out so much good content because they ’ re got their live audience as well as their constant social media audience .” Along with the Green Man festival , Briggs says the Victorious Festival is another strong supporter of live comedy . The Portsmouth festival , which celebrated its tenth anniversary last year , introduced its comedy tent in 2018 and co-founders Andy Marsh , James Ralls and Ben Miles have not looked back since .
Ralls says the event has always had a strong local comedy presence but he wanted to increase its offering last year by adding a few household names - including Katherine Ryan , Joel Dommett , Russell Kane , Milton Jones , Suzi Ruffell and Rosie Jones .
Geoff Rowe
“ This gave our festival-goers even more entertainment , and our more local comedians a chance to perform alongside some top talent ,” he says .
“ Comedy is not necessarily right for every festival , but we think it can really add to the atmosphere and gives our festival-goers diversity and great value . When an event lasts three days , it ’ s nice to cater for people who may want to step away from the main stages for a moment . It ’ s also great to give people access to another type of entertainment they may not get the chance to see regularly outside of the festival .”
Standout standup When looking at the comedy calendar this year , Peter Kay ’ s remarkable 110 date tour is undoubtedly one of the standout projects .
Promoted by SJM Concerts , Kay ’ s tour began at Manchester ’ s AO Arena in December and will see him finish at Utilita Arena in Birmingham in December 2025 . The comedian has become the first artist to hold a monthly residency at The O2 and he will be performing a show at the venue every month until April 2025 . By the end of his run , Kay will have broken the record for the most shows played at The O2 arena by an artist , with an impressive 44 shows at the venue . Kay last performed at venue as part of his 2010 tour , which still stands as the biggest selling comedy tour of all time .
Bownes says , “ Being the first artist in the world to have a monthly residency at the venue , and to sell out every show , is an astonishing achievement , and something we ’ re really proud to have worked on with Peter and SJM Concerts .”
It is not just the big name acts that people want to see this year . According to Leicester Comedy Festival founding director Geoff Rowe , who is to step down from his role later this year after 30 years at the helm , ticket sales are also strong for comedy club venues .
“ A lot of smaller venues are selling really well across the UK ,” he says . One of the interesting things Rowe says he has seen is growth in what he describes as rural comedy clubs : “ There has been growth of comedy in communities rather than big city centres and towns . The shows are doing incredibly well because people want to stay local . They ’ ll go and see Peter Kay at arenas , but these are increasingly being seen as a treat . People are staying local and that ’ s a healthy thing which promoters are taking advantage of .”
The comedy festival veteran says comedy clubs are continuing to provide vital pipelines for emerging talent : “ From speaking to promoters , I know there ’ s a real appetite for people to pay a tenner to go and see four acts and a compere who they may not necessarily know . That is brilliant because it supports new and emerging talent and helps feed the bigger picture .”
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