Independent Comedy Festival announces line-up

The Independent Comedy Festival has just announced 630 shows in Leicester running from 3-21 February 2027. There will be 35,000 tickets available across 43 venues with some of the top names of comedy appearing alongside up and coming talent and local performers.

The Independent Comedy Festival was set up by local comedian Alex Hylton and Promoter Colin Bowles to fill the void left when the Leicester Comedy Festival fell into administration. It was a sad loss as the festival had run for more than 30 years before its parent company ceased trading and had become one of the highlights of the city’s calendar.

They have stepped up to the plate admirably, organising a huge range of shows across venues in the city and county, fulfilling their goal to continue to bring Europe’s biggest comedy festival to Leicester each February and offer a major boost to the city’s economy while ensuring that the performers are treated fairly.

Fans of stand-up will have the chance to catch the best in live comedy on their doorstep, seeing touring legends, big names from TV, comedy circuit pros and rising stars performing in pubs, clubs and theatres. Some of the huge names that have been confirmed for the festival include Maisie Adam, Peter Serafinowicz, Darren Harriott, Angela Barnes, Milton Jones, Henning Wehn, Sophie Duker, Scott Bennett and Bobby Davro.

Shows will be hosted at venues including The Y Theatre and the Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium plus pubs and clubs across the city. They will also be continuing to branch outside the city centre, with venues announced in Anstey, Aylestone, Birstall, Blaby, Broughton Astley, Clarendon Park, Queniborough, Newton Linford, Oadby and Syston. The whole things kicks off with a Gala Preview Show at De Montfort Hall on 8 January with a hand-picked line-up from across the festival. This one will be a sell out and no mistake.

Organiser Alex Hylton spoke about the challenges of organising the event, saying: “There’s been a lot of speculation that the new festival would be smaller or scaled back, but we’re going to be able to deliver a massive three-week party thanks to so many people who are determined to make it happen.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s played a part and we’ve had so many people reach out and offer to help and we need that help to continue. It’s been a real tooth-and-nail-experience and a learning curve for everyone. This is the city’s festival as much as anybody else’s.”

Tickets for all 630 shows are now on sale at the Independent Comedy Festival website.