From 11-22 July Chester city centre will play host to humour with a 12-day festival featuring well known stand-up comedians, previews shows, comedy crawls, children’s workshops and even comedy dinners.
Organised by Chester BID, over 20 comedians will take to the streets and stage in some of Chester’s best venues including Chester Racecourse, Storyhouse, Opera Grill and Chester Market.
Sunday 11th July
Family Fun Event at Chester Market
Chester Comedy Festival have lined up an afternoon of family fun with two fantastic shows from two of the best children’s entertainers in the country.
John Harding’s Magic Show
Laugh and be amazed by comedy magician John Harding, a fun filled show for all the family
"Dashed clever... Cunning!" HRH The Prince of Wales
"A master at what he does... funny, inventive and mesmerising" Jeff Anderson, Controller, ITV Current Affairs & Documentaries
"The audience loved you, McFly loved you... Fabulous!" Dale Winton, BBC1
Martin “Bigpig” Mor presents
FUNNY STUFF FOR HAPPY PEOPLE.
Kids! Do you need somewhere to take your adults without them getting bored and going in a huff?
Bring them to FUNNY STUFF FOR HAPPY PEOPLE where the adults can have just as good a time as the kids.
comedy, circus, storytelling, poetry and stupid science.
As seen on Blue Peter and CBBC Live.
“Uproariously funny and utterly loveable”. THREE WEEKS
“this gentle giant has an instant rapport with children” - Adelaide Advertiser
“A comedy institution” - Guardian
Venue: Chester Market, 6 Princess Street, Chester, CH1 2HH
Door: 12:30 Time: 1:00pm to 3:00pm, Price: £10 Family of 4 ticket, £5 per ticket, (ticket price is for both shows)
Monday 12th July
Best of the Fest Featuring Jason Manford, Maisie Adam and Daliso Chaponda.
Join Superstar comedian Jason Manford as he headlines a fantastic night of comedy featuring award winning comedian Maisie Adam as seen on Mock the Week, Have I Got News for You, QI, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Hypothetical and The Stand-Up Sketch Show. 'Go see Maisie now and have bragging rights for years to come' – HERALD
And
Daliso Chaponda As seen and heard on The Royal Variety Performance 2020 (ITV), Britain’s Got Talent 2017 (ITV), Britain’s Got Talent Champions 2019 (ITV), QI (BBC2), The Apprentice: You’re Fired (BBC2), Good Evening Britain (ITV), The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4), and The Now Show (BBC Radio 4).
Venue: Chester Racecourse, Final Furlong Marquee, Watergate Square, Chester, CH1 2LY
Door: 7:00pm, Show Starts 8:00pm, Price £18.50, Age Restriction: 16+
Tuesday 13th July
Chester Comedy Festival Special at The Opera Grill
Come and enjoy a fabulous two course meal at one of Chester’s finest restaurants, the beautiful grade II listed Opera Grill, followed by a comedy show with three of the finest comedians from the international comedy circuit.
Christian Reilly
Musical comedian Christian Reilly’s first comedy gig was in the Perrier award-winning ‘Rich Hall is Otis Lee Crenshaw’. He has used his accomplished musicianship, extensive vocal range and love of music to establish himself as a global comedy circuit headliner; appearing at international festivals, on BBC radio and TV, and on the Chortle award-winning ‘Richard Herring: As It Occurs to Me’.
“If you’re a fan of Bill Bailey or Rich Hall, you’re a Christian Reilly fan already”- The Guardian
“Blisteringly funny songs” – The Stage
Jojo Sutherland
Jojo Sutherland is an unstoppable comedy force. known for being able to expertly garner laughs from every subject she touches. Current holder of the prestigious Scottish Comedy Award for Best Show.
“A conversational style with humour so interwoven it seems effortless.” - Chortle
“A performer the audience could have watched all night.” - The Herald
Hosted by Brendan Riley
“Worth the price of the admission alone.” - Lancashire Evening Post
Venue: Opera Grill,3 Pepper Street, Chester, CH1 1DF
Door 6:00pm, Food 6:30pm, Show 8:00pm, Price £29.25, Age Restriction: 18+
Tickets can also be purchased direct from the Opera Grill ( no booking fee) call 01244343888 email opera.grill@individualrestaurants.com
Wednesday 14th July
Gary Delaney – Gary In Punderland
Get ready to dive into a rabbit hole of the best jokes in the world - star of Live at the Apollo and sell-out sensation Gary Delaney is back! One of the most sought after joke writers in the country and longstanding Mock the Week special guest, Gary has been through the laughing glass and he’s ready to bring you a brand new show with hit after hit of the kind of one-liners only a master could craft. If you’re hunting for snark, Gary’s got it covered!
★★★★ ‘A cavalcade of brilliantly inventive puns’ Guardian
★★★★ ‘More quality jokes in one hour than most comics have in their entire careers...Quite brilliant’ Scotsman
★★★★ ‘A master craftsman’ Times
★★★★ ‘One of Britain's grandmasters of the one-liner'’ Chortle
Venue: Chester Racecourse, Final Furlong Marquee, Watergate Square, Chester, CH1 2LY
Doors 7:00pm, Show Starts 8.00pm, Price £18.00, Age Restriction: 16+
Thursday 15th July
Chester New Comedian of the Year Final
Chester Comedy Festival has launched its first ever national search for the next Chester New Comedian of the Year sponsored by Concept Mortgages.
Aspiring comedians from all over the country will be invited to apply to win one of eight places in the final for this coveted title. Choosing just one winner from an array of comedy talent won’t be easy.
Hosted by Brendan Riley, “A born compere” – The Guardian
Venue: Chester Market, 6 Princess Street, Chester,CH1 2HH
Door: 7:00 show 8:00pm, Price: £5,
Friday 16th July
Friday Night Comedy
The very best comedians from the UK and beyond right in the heart of Chester every Friday.
Kick off your weekend with some guaranteed big laughs at Alexander’s Live.
Venue: Alexanders Live, Rufus Court, Chester CH1 2JW
Door: 7:00 pm, Show Starts 8:00 pm, Price £12, £10 NUS, NHS, For Tickets: www.alexanderslive.com
Friday 16th July
Chester Comedy Festival Presents Best of The Fest at Storyhouse Featuring Reginald D Hunter, Rachel Fairburn and Tez Ilyas
This show brings together some of the finest comedians off TV and the international comedy circuit.
Reginald D Hunter Have I Got News for You? QI, Live at the Apollo and two series of the BBC2’s hugely popular Reginald D Hunter’s Songs Of The South & Songs of The Border, documenting Reginald’s epic road trip through 150 years of American popular song.
Rachel Fairburn, co-host and co-writer of the worldwide smash hit podcast All Killa No Filla and Tez Ilyas, star of The Tez O’Clock Show (Channel 4), TEZ Talks (BBC Radio 4) and the multi-award-winning Man Like Mobeen (BBC Three). Hosted by Brendan Riley.
Venue: Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR
Doors: 7:30 pm, Show Starts 8:00 pm, Price £18.50, Age Restriction: 18+
For Tickets: Tickets can be purchased from Storyhouse on 01244 409 113 or www.storyhouse.com
Saturday 17th July
Chester Comedy Festival Family Fun Event at Grosvenor Shopping Centre
Bring your own chair, cushion or blanket and join us for an afternoon of family fun at Grosvenor Shopping Centre with two of the UK’s finest entertainers - John Harding and Wacky Woody, expect balloon workshops , silly magic and lots of audience participation.
Venue: Grosvenor Shopping Centre, Eastgate Street, Chester CH1 1EA
Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm, Price: FREE, Advance bookings Only – limited places available, Please contact us via the website to book
Sunday 18th July
Best of the Fest Featuring Ed Byrne and Hal Cruttenden
Multi award winning comedians and stars of TV and radio Ed Byrne and Hal Cruttenden come together for one fantastic night of comedy.
Ed Byrne
“He’ll make you laugh, He’ll make you smile, He’ll make you want to fall in love with him” -The Stage
As seen on Mock The Week, Live at The Apollo, Have I Got News For You
Venue: Chester Racecourse, Final Furlong Marquee, Watergate Square, Chester, CH1 2LY
Doors 7:00pm, Show Starts 8.00pm, Price £18.50, Age Restriction: 16+
Monday 19th July
Comedy Crawl
Chester has loads of brilliant pubs but how many have you been to?
Get your walking boots on and join us on a truly unique “Mirthical Mystery” walking tour featuring five top class comedians in four different venues. Your shoes should be the only sensible thing to bring along on this night of beer and belly laughs!
The first of our comedy crawls will start at xxxxx on xxxx but who knows where we will finish
Venue: TBC
Meet 7:00pm, Show 7.30pm, Price £5, Age Restriction: 18+
Tuesday 20th July
Comedy in the Cloisters
This show brings two of TV’s finest comedians to one of Chester’s most iconic landmarks.
Tom Binns aka Ivan Brackenbury
Creator and star of BBC One’s Hospital People and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown favourite, multi award-winning comedian, Tom Binns will appear as his alter ego Hospital DJ Ivan Brackenbury
“Binns has his character absolutely nailed, and mines the comic seam ruthlessly to create top-quality entertainment with practically universal appeal.” - The Guardian
Steve Royle Britain’s Got Talent finalist 2020 and star of Phoenix Nights, Max and Paddy and BBC radio Lancashire
“One of the funniest performances I've seen. I was totally wowed” David Walliams
“A brilliant comedian” Peter Kay
Venue: The Refectory Café, Chester Cathedral, St Werburgh Street, Chester CH1 2DY
Hosted by Brendan Riley. ‘A great compère’ - The Guardian
Doors: 7:00 pm, Show Starts 8:00 pm, Price £12.00, Age Restriction: 16+
Wednesday 21st July
Restaurant TBC
Come and enjoy a fabulous two course meal followed by a comedy show featuring three of the finest comedians from the international comedy circuit at Chester’s newest restaurant…..
Featuring Scouse raconteur Jamie Sutherland, 'Funny gags, which you cannot beat' BBC Leicester Comedy Festival.
and
Award Winning Comedian Nina Gilligan. Described as a bolshier Mrs Merton she's not one to suffer fools lightly so watch out for a razor-sharp wit used at will.
“ A naturally funny comedian with a charming and genuinely likeable style” - John Thomson
Hosted by Brendan Riley
Venue: TBC
Doors: TBC, Price TBC, Age Restriction: TBC
Thursday 22nd July
Rich Hall Live
Multi award-winning comedy legend and star of TV and radio Rich Hall closes this year’s Chester Comedy Festival.
Montana native Rich Hall, is renowned for his expertly crafted tirades, quick-fire banter with audiences and delightful musical sequences. Rich has been described as a transatlantic messenger, lampooning each country he visits with his laser-guided observations.
Rich has appeared on BBC One’s QI, Live At The Apollo and Have I Got News For You, he wrote and starred in his own reoccurring BBC Radio 4 show Rich Hall’s (US Election) Breakdown.
Venue: Chester Racecourse, Final Furlong Marquee, Watergate Square, Chester, CH1 2LY
Door: 7:00pm, Show Starts 8:00pm, Price £16.00, Age Restriction: 16+
Tickets range from £5-£16.55.
Sorry, this event has passed
Chester Cycle Tours provide the bikes, you provide the pedal-power!
The Cheshire Military Museum, in Chester, tells the story of the Cheshire Soldiers from…
The Grosvenor Museum is full of surprises which tell the stories of Cheshire from…
Breakout is a real-life escape room game based in the centre of Chester. Locked inside a…
Chester History and Heritage is the first place to contact to discover your local…
The Rows are continuous half-timbered galleries, reached by steps, which form a second…
The DEVA Roman Experience will take you on a voyage back through time 2000 years ago to…
This tranquil half-hour cruise long the River Dee departs from The Groves. From there,…
Step aboard the Mark Twain or the Lady Diana for a two-hour cruise that’s a real treat.…
Enjoy a different side of Chester - the riverside! Sail with us along the beautiful…
Whitewall brings the finest artwork from around the world to a discerning audience of art…
Explore the gory story of medicine through time. Learn and laugh in a gross but family…
Open daily to the public, the architecture is priceless.
The Watergate Street Gallery opened in 1992 with a philosophy to bring new, fresh,…
Chester High Cross stands in front of St Peter's Church at the junction of Watergate…
The High Cross at the centre of this staggered junction – from where a busker might be…