Comedy festival defaults on paying comedians

Hundreds of comedians have been left unpaid by The Leicester Comedy Festival, up to 75 days after they performed there.

Organisers have held on to sums likely to be worth tens of thousands of pounds for ticket sales owed to those who staged show at February’s near month-long event.

Rather than ring-fence this money, festival chiefs said they prioritised their own ‘operational expenditure’ over paying comedians.

Outstanding settlements should have been paid yesterday, but instead performers received emails saying the money would not be arriving ‘to protect the charity’s cashflow position’. And organisers said they couldn’t be sure when acts would be paid.

The festival is run by a charity called The Big Difference, which has an annual income of £500,000 and annual expenses that match almost to the pound. Ironically, the festival's partners include Equity, the performers’ trade union.

The Big Difference also runs a permanent venue in Leicester of the same name and stages a major outdoor gig in the city’s Abbey Park in July.

Organisers said that only 22 per cent of comedians’ festival payments had been settled on time. With 370 shows at the event, which began on February 4, 75 days ago, and ended 57 days ago, that percentage would mean 289 shows still unpaid. Further events at the concurrent UK Children’s Comedy Festival are also affected. 

Chortle has heard from comedians owed hundreds of pounds.

One who is owed almost £600 said the delay in paying  was galling because even when she finally receives the money she would be ‘barely breaking even on what I spent, including listing fees – so they’ve had £1,000 off me. That’s a lot of money for what is essentially a pay-to-play gig.’

Another comic owed just over £104 said ‘it’s not life-changing but still annoying…. I didn't realise them "processing" my ticket sales meant "spending" them.’

The festival charges an upfront £72 registration fee for a one-off gig in a small venue, rising to £310 per show in the bigger space.

In the email confirming the payments would be delayed, the festival said: ‘We are sorry for the impact this will have, and we are disappointed that we have been unable to complete the settlement as initially forecast.

‘We appreciate this will be a disappointing outcome for you, and we are sorry to be making this update,’

They conceded that with regards to cashflow ‘this year we have gotten it wrong and as such we must delay settlement payments whilst we wait for expected income to be received.

‘Despite the intention that artist ticket money will be held separately and protected, the decision was made to prioritise urgent operational expenditure that ensured that the 2026 festival could proceed. This decision was not made lightly, but with the longevity and continuation of Leicester Comedy Festival and The UK Kids’ Comedy Festivals in mind.

‘It is an increasingly challenging time to be a festival in the UK’s cultural landscape, and navigating this landscape as a small team means that sometimes we get things wrong. We take full accountability for this.’

In response to any comedians or promoters wondering why it took until the last minute to be told they weren’t going to receive their payment on the date expected, the festival said: ‘ The settlement period falls right around a crucial time in the financial calendar, that is the completion of year-end accounts. 

‘This process always redirects our financial capacity which is why we set the 19^th April date. Despite assigning further capacity in the last quarter towards the finance department, it is clear that this has not resolved this problem.

‘In addition to this, if we had started the settlement process sooner, it would likely lead to inconsistency and individuals ending up stuck without a resolution.

‘Whilst some payments are being made this week, we are unable to confirm a new deadline for those that have been delayed as we are working to find the quickest solution. We are committed to transparency and will provide our next update on Thursday.’

Published: 20 Apr 2026