Manchester Comedy Festival: Laughterama Returns in September 2026

Key Points

• Laughterama, the largest comedy festival that happens outdoors in Manchester, will be held again at Castlefield Bowl from 2-6 September 2026.
• The comedy festival comprises seven shows in five nights and the headliners will include Jack Dee, Bridget Christie, Michelle Wolf, Sara Pascoe and Chris McCausland.
• Tickets cost £29 (without booking fees) and are still available for most shows although those for Thursday 3 September have all been taken up.
• It’s cashless and doors usually open at 6pm with showtimes at 7:30pm for evening shows, while for matinees, they start at 4pm.
• Castlefield Bowl is located on Rice Street, Castlefield (M15 4JR) near Deansgate with nearby NCP car parks that have 1,240 spaces.

Manchester (Manchester Mirror) September 02, 2026 – Manchester’s biggest comedy festival is back this week, and tickets are still on sale for most performances.

Laughterama returns to Castlefield Bowl for its third consecutive year, bringing a star-studded line-up of UK comedians to the city for a five-night run from Wednesday 2 September through Sunday 6 September 2026.

As reported by a journalist at the Manchester Evening News, the festival follows successful performances in London during July and August before making its comeback to Manchester.

The event will feature a total of seven shows, mixing evening and afternoon performances, with some of the country’s most recognised comedians taking the stage.

What is Laughterama comedy festival in Manchester?

Laughterama is Manchester’s largest open-air comedy festival, staged at the outdoor venue Castlefield Bowl in the city centre.

Now in its third year in Manchester, the festival has grown into a major fixture in the North West’s autumn events calendar, positioning the city alongside London as a key stop for top-tier stand-up talent.

According to Secret Manchester, the festival is described as a “massive open-air comedy festival” that mixes stand-up legends, television regulars and breakthrough acts across multiple nights.

The Northern Guide also lists Laughterama among the headline comedy events for September in Manchester, highlighting its role in a “mammoth month for comedy” in the region.

Who is performing at Laughterama 2026?

The 2026 line-up includes a mixture of established names and rising stars from the UK comedy circuit.

As reported by Secret Manchester, this year’s bill features Jack Dee, Taskmaster sensation Bridget Christie, US comedian Michelle Wolf, and British favourites Sara Pascoe and Chris McCausland.

The Manchester Evening News listing includes additional performers across the week, among them Ivo Graham, Elis James, John Robins, Rachel Fairburn, Harriet Kemsley, Phil Ellis, Amy Annette, and Lindsey Santy, alongside other acts such as Kir Saggu, Vittorio Angelone, Ian Smith, Ninai, Christie, Evaldas, Josh, Anyia, Saracoe, Rosenthal, Michael Od, Michelle Swarte and Chloe Pet.

The exact running order and grouping of acts vary by show, with some nights billed as evening showcases and others as afternoon matinees.

When and where is Laughterama taking place?

Laughterama runs from Wednesday 2 September to Sunday 6 September 2026 at Castlefield Bowl, Rice Street, Castlefield, Manchester, M15 4JR.

The venue is situated close to the city centre, just off Deansgate, with the event entrance accessible via Castle Street.

For those travelling by car, several NCP Great Northern car parks are within short walking distance, offering a combined total of 1,240 spaces.

Public transport links include nearby Deansgate rail and Metrolink stations, making the site accessible from across Greater Manchester and beyond.

What are the showtimes and ticket details?

The festival operates two main time slots across the week.

Evening shows generally see doors opening at 6pm, with performances starting at 7:30pm.

Afternoon matinee shows have doors opening at 2:45pm, with performances beginning at 4pm.

Tickets are priced at £29, excluding booking fees, and the event is cashless.

According to the Manchester Evening News, tickets remain available for most shows, though the Thursday 3 September performance is already sold out.

Tickets can be purchased through See Tickets, the festival’s official ticketing partner.

How to get tickets for Laughterama in Manchester?

Tickets for Laughterama are being sold via See Tickets, with links available through event listings on sites including the Manchester Evening News and Secret Manchester.

Given that one night is already sold out and others are described as having limited availability, organisers and local media have encouraged interested audiences to book promptly.

The cashless policy means attendees should bring a debit or credit card, or use contactless payment methods, for any on-site purchases.

Background of Laughterama comedy festival development

Laughterama originally established itself as a major comedy festival in London before expanding to Manchester.

The festival’s return to Castlefield Bowl for a third consecutive year indicates a strategy of building a regular, multi-city presence, leveraging large outdoor venues to host high-capacity stand-up events.

Its positioning as Manchester’s “biggest” and “most popular” comedy festival reflects both the scale of the venue and the profile of the acts booked, which include national television names and international comedians.

The growth of Laughterama aligns with a broader increase in large-format comedy events in the UK, where promoters are using arenas and outdoor spaces to meet demand for live stand-up following strong post-pandemic attendance.

Prediction: How Laughterama 2026 could affect Manchester audiences and the local comedy scene

The return of Laughterama at this scale is likely to reinforce Manchester’s status as a key destination for live comedy in the North of England.

For local audiences, the presence of high-profile names at a single outdoor venue may increase overall interest in stand-up, encouraging more residents to attend comedy shows beyond the festival week.

For the city’s existing comedy clubs and smaller promoters, the festival could have a dual effect: raising the profile of comedy in the region while also creating competition for audiences and spending during a busy September.

If ticket sales remain strong, organisers may consider expanding the number of nights or adding additional stages in future years, further embedding Laughterama into Manchester’s annual events calendar.

For content writers and SEO-focused publishers covering Manchester events, the festival provides a recurring, high-search-volume topic each autumn, with opportunities to rank for queries around “Manchester comedy festival”, “Laughterama tickets”, and “Castlefield Bowl comedy 2026”.