The complete star-studded entertainment roster for the Southport Comedy Festival 2026 has been officially revealed, in association with headline partners Halliwell Jones Kia Southport.

Organisers are urging comedy enthusiasts to secure their admissions early, with three of the 18 scheduled autumn performances already completely sold out and several other dates rapidly approaching maximum capacity.

The high initial demand follows the significant success of last year’s gathering, which attracted over 6,000 attendees and saw 10 individual evening shows exhaust their ticket allocations.

The 2026 festival will return to its bespoke home inside a luxury heated and seated marquee structure, provided by Elite Events, situated within Victoria Park in Southport from 2nd October until 18th October 2026.

Audience members will be able to purchase authentic Mexican street food from award-winning local independent eatery Tik Taco, alongside an expansive dedicated bar and social seating lounge built within the parkland grounds.

Festival director Brendan Riley said: 

“We have a superb line-up this year for the Southport Comedy Festival! We’re delighted to be able to confirm our full programme.

“Every year, we try our best to secure the acts and put together the festival we can, but we never know what tours are taking place and who’s going to be available.

“But each year we seem to surpass ourselves and the festival keeps getting stronger and stronger.

“We love to be able to present a mixture of really big household names along with exciting new acts that some people may not have seen yet.

“We’re delighted to welcome some brand new names this year including Paul Merton and Suki Webster; Laura Smyth; Adam Kay; Mike Wozniak; and Scott Bennett.”

Welcoming Touring Festival Favourites and Interactive Community Events

The newly announced autumn itinerary balances high-profile newcomers with established club favourites, alongside community competitions and interactive charity events.

Brendan added: 

“It’s brilliant to also see the return of some of our festival favourites, including Jason Byrne, Jimeoin, Paul Sinha and Gary Delaney.

“We are always eager to provide a platform for new and emerging talent through our Southport new comedian of the year competition sponsored by Dragon Soop, and our highly popular comedy bingo event returns, this year it is going back to the 90’s, so dig out your double denim for that one.

“This year’s chosen charity, Bebe’s Hive, will be holding a prize raffle at the comedy bingo event, with all proceeds raised going directly to support the incredible work of this wonderful local charity as well as raising awareness.”

Responding to feedback collected from audiences during the previous campaign, the 2026 schedule features an expanded number of daytime slots to provide greater flexibility for visitors travelling to the coast.

Brendan explained: 

“Last year, for the first time, we hosted a matinee show with Chris McCausland, and it was so popular, this year we are hosting three matinee shows.

“It gives people the option to come and watch shows either during the day or in the evening. For real comedy fans, or people coming to visit Southport, you could even watch two shows in one day.

“Southport comedy festival keeps evolving, and one of the most positive changes we made was moving to Victoria Park five years ago. 

“Now, we host all our shows inside a huge luxury heated and seated marquee from Elite Events, who keep improving the setting every year.

“There’s food; a large bar area; free parking; and it’s close to Southport town centre for anyone coming who also wants to explore all the town has to offer.”

Securing Final Ticket Allocations for the Autumn Showcases

With ticket sales progressing rapidly, attendees are advised to finalise their bookings to avoid missing out on specific touring comics.

Brendan noted: 

“Tickets are selling extremely well. We have three shows sold out already which is incredible, and a couple of others getting very close.

“If there are acts you’re really keen to see, please get your tickets booked now before they’re gone, don’t leave it too late. We had ten sell-out shows last year, they’re really popular.

“Finally, we’d like to say a huge thank you to our headline sponsors, Halliwell Jones Kia Southport and to all our other sponsors who support our shows each year and keep Southport smiling. Southport comedy festival couldn’t happen without them.

“We’re also very grateful for the backing of the likes of Mark Dilley of Elite Events, Alan Adams of Victoria Park Events, and Mark Catherall and the Sefton Council tourism team.”

Complete Day-by-Day Event Schedule for Southport Comedy Festival 2026

The full theatrical schedule spanning the 17-day coastal residency comprises the following individual event listings:

• Friday 2nd October 2026 – Jason Byrne: 30 Years Byrning
• Saturday 3rd October 2026 (Matinee Show) – Paul Sinha: 2 Sinha Lifetime
• Saturday 3rd October 2026 (Evening Show) – Southport New Comedian of the Year 2026 Grand Final sponsored by Dragon Soop
• Sunday 4th October 2026 (Matinee Show) – An Afternoon with Jason Manford (SOLD OUT)
• Sunday 4th October 2026 (Evening Show) – An Evening with Jason Manford (SOLD OUT)
• Tuesday 6th October 2026 – Jimeoin – Ballyhoo!
• Wednesday 7th October 2026 – An Evening with Clinton Baptiste
• Thursday 8th October 2026 – Henning Wehn: Acid Wehn
• Friday 9th October 2026 – Gary Delaney: Gary On Laughing (SOLD OUT)
• Saturday 10th October 2026 – Paul Merton and Suki Webster’s Improv Show
• Sunday 11th October 2026 – Adam Kay: This Is Going To Hurt
• Tuesday 13th October 2026 – Mike Wozniak: The Bench
• Wednesday 14th October 2026 – Scott Bennett: Blood Sugar Baby
• Thursday 15th October 2026 – Laura Smyth: Born Aggy
• Friday 16th October 2026 – Best of the Fest featuring: Steve Gribbin, Clayton Jones, Brennan Reece and host Brendan Riley
• Saturday 17th October 2026 – Comedy Bingo Back To The 90’s
• Sunday 18th October 2026 (Matinee Show) – Mick Miller: An Afternoon with Mick Miller
• Sunday 18th October 2026 (Evening Show) – Seann Walsh: This is Torture

Complete ticket booking facilities, group reservation options, and dynamic venue routing maps are accessible for all performance dates by visiting the website here.

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