The Winter Gardens has joined forces with the Comedy Station to deliver two high profile, side-splitting line-ups on July 7 and 8 in the Festival returning for the first time since 2019. Compere Ryan Gleeson will host Friday Night Laughs and Saturday Live! welcoming some of the best stand up and most celebrated comedians to the Opera House stage.
Who is performing at the Blackpool Comedy Festival?
Friday Night Live will feature as headliner Eddie Izzard – one of the most celebrated comics of her generation since the early 90s with an equally stellar reputation as a film, television and stage actor. Other Friday night stars are Jojo Sutherland, Angelos Epithemiou and Tom Stade.
Saturday Night Live! will include Seann Walsh, described as ‘the best observational comedian of his generation’, who has also starred in Netflix’s Flinch, Live at the Apollo, Tonight at the London Palladium, Celebrity Juice, The Stand Up Sketch Show, Virtually Famous, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Chatty Man and Stand Up Central. Also starring on the Saturday are Scott Bennett, Nina Gilligan and Blackburn’s Tez Illyas.
Blackpool's very own Ryan Gleeson is MC for the two nights and Anthony Williams, sales and marketing Manager, Winter Gardens Blackpool said: “This is a hugely exciting partnership for the venue and it’s brilliant to be working with a comedy legend to bring this to the stage as part of the weekend’s programme of events.
“With over 40 years of comedy industry experience the team is well placed to make sure that this weekend is one to remember for everyone looking to add to their laughter lines.”
When is the Blackpool Comedy Festival?
The two new events, join the already announced Legends Of Variety which will bring the festival to a close on Sunday, July 9, while alongside the headline events, Showtown, Blackpool’s new museum of fun and entertainment, will host a series of events throughout the weekend.
There will be a range of free and reduced ticketed events and activities over the weekend and there will be a drop-in area with storytelling, dressing up.
The programme will also include two family laughter workshops with a clown/entertainer. One of these sessions is specifically for families with additional needs for example autism.
How do you get tickets for the Blackpool Comedy Festival?
The programme also includes three family comedy shows and a cake and coffee morning event with comedy legends talking about their experiences, which will be on-sale soon. A full programme of events at the Blackpool Comedy Festival will be released in due course. For more information and to book tickets visit www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk
1. Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard will headline the Friday night of the Festival. Eddie is one of the most celebrated comics of her generation since the early 1990s and has an equally stellar reputation as a film, television and stage actor. Photo: submit
2. Ryan Gleeson
Blackpool's own Ryan Gleeson is master of ceremonies on both nights and is resident host of the Comedy Station Comedy Club on Bank Hey Street, the resort's first comedy club, founded in 2002, which this year celebrates its 21st anniversary. He is one of the UK's most in demand comedians, having performed across the country since 1997, when at the age of just 16, he was introduced to the world of stand-up by a friend. Photo: submit
3. JoJo Sutherland
JoJo Sutherland, appearing on the Friday night of the Festival, frequently appears on stage and undertakes work from a variety of fields including radio presenting and improvisational forum theatre. She was a finalist in the inaugural Funny Women Comedy Awards and was part of two world record breaking events - Stand Up 150 and One Big Laugh. Photo: submit
4. Tom Stade
Canadian émigré Tom Stade, on the Friday night bill, has earned a reputation as one of the most distinctive and engaging stand-up talents around. He is now firmly established as a leading touring act and has amassed a legion of loyal fans along the way. Photo: submit
5. Nina Gilligan
Nina Gilligan, who is on the Saturday night bill, has been performing since2011 and won the Leicester Comedy Festival 2022. She has been described as ' bolshier Mrs Merton', not one to suffer fools lightly so watch out for a razor sharp wit used at will. Photo: submit
6. Seann Walsh
Seann Walsh, who top the bill on the Saturday, has been described by The Guardian as ‘the best observational comedian of his generation'. He has also starred in Live at the Apollo, Tonight at the London Palladium, Celebrity Juice, The Stand Up Sketch Show, Virtually Famous, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Chatty Man, Stand Up Central and Netflix' Flinch as well as featuring as a contestant in Strictly Come Dancing. Photo: submit