Event will become an annual fixture

Organisers have hailed the first Live Comedy Day as a great success in raising the profile of grassroots comedy.

The event will now become an annual fixture on April 1, after more than 120 comedians took part in yesterday’s celebration.

Shows took place at venues ranging from a 30-seat room at the Yellow Book in Brighton to the Royal Albert Hall, where Vir Das performed to an audience of 3,500. Total capacity across all events exceeded 20,000.

The event was covered by BBC Radio 4, Times Radio, The One Show and the Big Issue, among others. 

Radio 4, which was a partner on the project the project, posted interviews on its social media channels with comedians including Armando Iannucci, Stewart Lee and Suzi Ruffell.

Julia McKenzie, commissioning editor for comedy and entertainment at the station said it had been ’wonderful to see so many shows taking part, from the small, intimate gigs to bigger ones at the [London] Palladium and elsewhere.’

The event was organised by the Live Comedy Association, a not-for-profit membership body representing around 1,500 people working in live comedy, including comedians, promoters and festival organisers.

Jessica Toomey, co-chair of the association, said members had ’taken the opportunity’ to get involved in large numbers. She said: ’Live Comedy Day was a real grassroots event and has helped raise the profile of the incredible work which is done in the live comedy sector.’

Further information is available at www.livecomedyday.co.uk.

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Published: 1 Apr 2026