Hot Water’s Liverpool Comedy Festival is taking over Blackstock Market this week for four days of comedy, live music, food, drink and entertainment.
The brand-new festival runs from Thursday, 3 September until Sunday, 6 September, bringing more than 70 comedy shows to multiple stages and performance spaces across the Liverpool venue.
Created, funded and delivered by the team behind Hot Water Comedy Club, the festival aims to celebrate Liverpool’s reputation as one of the UK’s great comedy cities.
Blackstock Market will be transformed into a festival village for the four-day event, with a packed programme featuring major touring acts, household names, podcasts, mixed bills, rising stars and one-off specials.
Among the comedians confirmed to appear are Tony Carroll, Jamie Hutchinson, Katie Tracey, Paul Smith, Ignacio Lopez, Rachel Fairburn, Danny McLoughlin, Phil Chapman, Ricky Tomlinson, Crissy Rock and Mick Miller.
Organisers say the festival has been designed so visitors can drop in for a single show or spend an entire day enjoying everything happening across the site.
And the entertainment will extend well beyond the comedy stages.
Visitors can expect live music, family entertainment, street food, festival bars, whisky tasting sessions, outdoor seating areas, games, rides and activities throughout Blackstock Market.
The venue has become the permanent home of Hot Water Comedy Club and has developed into one of Liverpool’s busiest entertainment destinations.
Hot Water’s Liverpool Comedy Festival brings the venue’s different elements together for one major four-day event, with organisers hoping it will become an annual fixture in the city’s cultural calendar.
The team behind the festival said its ambition is to grow the event year after year while continuing to support comedians, performers, artists and Liverpool’s wider creative community.
Hot Water’s Liverpool Comedy Festival takes place at Blackstock Market from Thursday, 3 September to Sunday, 6 September 2026. Tickets for individual shows are available through the Hot Water Comedy Club website, with some events also available free of charge.
Hot Water Comedy’s Paul Blair says:
“We’re incredibly proud to be launching a comedy festival that truly reflects Liverpool’s world-famous sense of humour and comedy heritage. Bringing together established stars, rising talent and local comedians under one roof, it’s a genuine celebration of live comedy and everything that makes the city’s comedy scene so special.
“This is just the start. Our ambition is to grow the festival year after year into one of the UK’s biggest comedy festivals while continuing to champion local comedians and give audiences an unforgettable live experience.
“There’s simply nothing like being in a room full of laughter – live comedy in proper comedy clubs will always beat watching a screen at an arena.”
For the full Liverpool Comedy Festival programme visit the website.
