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Bristol Comedy & Stand-Up Events

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Bristol's Comedy Scene

Bristol is an essential stop-off in the UK comedy circuit. The Comedy Box is probably the city’s most prolific stand up promoter, regular shows bring crowds to The Hen and Chicken, The Tobacco Factory and Colston Hall’s ‘The Lantern’. In summer The Comedy Garden in Queens Square brings a who’s who in British comedy with past guests including Stewart Lee, Marcus Brigstocke, Mark Watson and Shappi Khorsandi. The Loco Club (beneath Temple Meads train station) is home to occasional stand up nights promoted by Bristol Underground Comedy. In the city centre alongside the headliners found at Colston Hall and Bristol Hippodrome, Riproar Comedy host stand-up every Friday and Saturday evening.

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Our recent comedy recommendations

The concert film to end all concert films! Before there was Woodstock, there was 68’s Monterey Pop, immortalised in D. A. Pennebaker's euphoric countercultural snapshot. Some of the best live performances in history, not to mention Mama Cass’ rapturous gawping while Janis Joplin howls the sky down, the multiple counts of guitar destruction/fornication/arson, the priceless cutaways to a sea of blissed-out hippies… HIPPY TRIPPY SUMMER PRESENTS: MONTEREY POP at The Cube.

Sell out warning! Our fave Romanian twin queer allies at Trinity? Are we dreaming? It’s a cheeky holiday!! The noughties pop icons headline this full-blown Pride takeover – alongside live cabaret from trailblazing drag king Prix Chiyo, serpentine sorceress Mama Mamba, and bearlesque diva Deeva D + Liam Parsons bringing hi-nrg club-pop euphoria on the decks. The Queer As F*ck crew really pulling out all the stops here! QUEER AS F*CK: Pride Afterparty at The Trinity Centre.

Sell out warning! Back for a blockbuster fourth year running: boundary-defying drag-theatre from queer performance art collective House of Boussé! Part visceral reclamation narrative against hateful media rhetoric, part self-proclaimed “trannified version of The Magic School Bus”, Trans/Form is an embodied journey into the beauty and power of trans+ experiences. TRANS/FORM at Strange Brew.

Casual violence, militarisation and warped perceptions of his Palestinian homeland follow a deadpan filmmaker on his travels in the West. The Arc screens Elia Suleiman’s acclaimed-but-underseen It Must Be Heaven – a tragi-comic political satire that’s drawn comparison to Jacques Tati and Roy Andersson in its wryly absurdist style. All funds go directly to supporting families in Gaza, so dig deep. Palestine Film Fundraiser: It Must Be Heaven at The Arc.

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What our editors say

“Looking for a good time and a hilarious night out to end the working week? You’ve come to the right place. Bristol's fresh new comedy club brings the best acts in the country and the region right to the city centre. Expect TV and radio sensations, local legends and touring comedians from the circuit, but above all, expect genuine laughs. We don’t do things by halves at The Gaffe. This is a top-level comedy night with a handpicked line-up, brought to you by the team behind, The Bristol Comedy FEstival, The Room Above (winner of the Chortle Award for Best Pro Comedy Night) and the White Bear Comedy Club.”
From: Saturday Night Comedy Headliners 9pm

“You’re in for a night of cutting-edge comedy. We aim to make our shows diverse and inclusive, with some names you already know, and others that should be on your radar. Since opening in January 2025, The Gaffe has featured:”
From: Saturday Night Comedy Headliners 7pm

“Looking for a good time and a hilarious night out to end the working week? You’ve come to the right place. Bristol's fresh new comedy club brings the best acts in the country and the region right to the city centre. Expect TV and radio sensations, local legends and touring comedians from the circuit, but above all, expect genuine laughs. We don’t do things by halves at The Gaffe. This is a top-level comedy night with a handpicked line-up, brought to you by the team behind, The Bristol Comedy Festival, The Room Above (winner of the Chortle Award for Best Pro Comedy Night) and the White Bear Comedy Club.”
From: Friday Comedy Club

“Join us on Thursdays for a great value night of local comedy from some of the best comedians in the South West. Bristol has an award-winning comedy scene for good reason: it’s packed full of talented comedians who live in or near the city, and it’s our job to cherry-pick the best of them for this banger of a Thursday night show, all for £5!”
From: Thursday Comedy for a fiver

“A brand new, new act, new material night at Seamus O’Donnell's The tickets are free, the bar is open and the laughs are rolling in for Stand up @ Seamus. Join us for a night of top local queer and queer-friendly comedy. Come and see comedians try out new jokes or even take to the stage for the very first time. You really never know what you might see at a new material night!”
From: Seamus Presents: Stand Up LGBTQ+ Comedy Night