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September 19 - October 4, 2026

welcome!

Let’s get Ha Ha H-Aberdeen laughing! Following an amazing response in 2025, the Aberdeen Comedy Festival returns for 2026 with an extended line up and even more chances to see your favourite comics across three weekends from Friday 19 September to Sunday 4 October 2026. From leading names to rising stars, household favourites to local heroes, from stand-up to improv, Aberdeen is gearing up for another year of laughter from the best of the best. Laughter really is the best medicine…no prescription needed!

d festival For full line up an QR code or visit news scan this rmingarts.com aberdeenperfo

It’s time to get your giggle on!

Russell Howard

Don’t Tell The Algorithm Sat 19 September 2026

3:30pm & 7:30pm

Russell Howard is back with a brand-new stand-up tour in 2026. After breaking records with sold-out shows across the globe, ‘one of the world’s top comedians’ (The Sunday Times) is inviting you back into the room: no phones, no distractions, just humans and jokes. Don’t tell the algorithm. “You’ll not find a slicker, more personable performer the length and breadth of the land” Mail On Sunday ★★★★★ Mail On Sunday ★★★★★ Metro ★★★★★ Chortle

Tickets £39 4

14+ n Music Hall

AL THOMPSON

SCOTT FORBES MATTHEW ROSS Fri 18 & Sat 19 September 2026

7:30pm

Al Thompson has been gigging all over Scotland for 3 years, having 200+ gigs under his belt. He has gigged for Des McLean on multiple occasions and Billy Kirkwood. He has performed comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe, and recently reached the semi final of The Spirit of Comedy awards and the semi final of Beat The Frog ‘25.

Tickets £17.50

18+ n Breakneck Comedy

maisie adam

Whatsherface Tue 22 September 2026

7:30pm

Straight off the back of Taskmaster, A League Of Their Own, and Last One Laughing, Maisie Adam is back with her brand new show Whatsherface. Join the “tall, chaotic one with the weird hair” as she returns with her trademark wit, firecracker gags, and probably a few angry outbursts along the way.

Tickets £28.50

16+ n Tivoli Theatre 5

Alasdair Beckett-King King of Crumbs Wed 23 September 2026

8:30pm

Come vagabonds, come mountebanks, come coney-catchers and cutpurses and meet the King of Crumbs! As seen on Mock the Week and 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. “Either a genius or a very silly man” Rolling Stone

★★★★H “An absolute treasure trove” Chortle

Tickets £22

16+ n Lemon Tree Lounge

Andrew Ryan Honest Capacity Thu 24 September 2026

7pm

On the face of it Andrew is utterly delighted with himself; he’s happy, confident, can drive a golf ball 300 yards and is excited for the future as a newlywed. Barely touch that surface and the reality is he cannot get out of his own way and continues to make utterly bewildering decisions with hilarious consequences.

Tickets £19.80 6

16+ n Lemon Tree Studio

Mark Thomas

40 in Stand-Up Years Thu 24 September 2026

8pm

What?! Mark Thomas has been ‘standing up’ for 40 years? Impossible!! But how old does that make you…? Alas it is true; one of our oldest surviving alternative comics celebrates 40 years at the mic.

★★★★

“Once again shooting laughter-laden political bullets from the lip” THE RECS

Tickets £22

16+ n Lemon Tree Lounge

Shazia Mirza

Plus guests Fri 25 & Sat 26 September 2026

7:30pm

Shazia Mirza is an award winning British stand up comedian and writer who works internationally. She has performed stand-up shows across the world in Europe, the US, Asia and the Far East. Listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy, Shazia is also a winner of the prestigious PPA Awards ‘Columnist of the Year’ for her writing in The New Statesman.

Tickets £17.50

18+ n Breakneck Comedy 7

Susan Calman Tall Tales

Fri 25 September 2026

7:30pm

Susan Calman hasn’t been on tour in ten years, but now she’s back with a brand-new show. A decade older, but not necessarily wiser, Susan has found herself in some improbable situations over the years. Tall Tales is a show about cruising, driving tanks, cats and getting older. You might have seen her on the television or heard her on the radio but the absolute best way to see her is live on stage. You won’t believe how short she really is. Prepare yourself for an evening of barely believable stories, laughter and probably some dancing.

Tickets £32.50 8

14+ n Music Hall

craig hill

You’re Not Even Safe Up The Back Fri 25 September 2026

8pm

A Fringe favourite with wide appeal, Craig Hill has audiences in paroxysms of laughter, barely able to breathe before take-off again. Strap yourself in! Expect electric energy, fearless improvisation, and the kind of live comedy that turns rooms upside down. He’s behind you! Actually, he’s in front of you and there’s nowhere to hide.

Tickets £20.90

16+ n Lemon Tree Lounge

Kim Blythe puzzle Fri 25 September 2026

8pm

Kim Blythe is back with her brand new show Puzzle. And listen, she hates writing copy, it’s really difficult. So here’s a silly puzzle pun, but the show is funny, honestly. “An undeniable talent” ★★★★ The Skinny CLUES - Single Item (1) Foolish Bird (5,5) Onstage Routine (5,2) Stage Presentation (4).

Tickets £16.50

14+ n Lemon Tree Studio 9

Late Night at The Lemon Tree Fri 25 September 2026

Doors 9:30pm

Late Night at The Lemon Tree brings a multi-bill line-up of festival favourites and surprise guests to the stage. Expect sharp stand-up, a packed room, and plenty of laughs. The line-up will be online soon - but you’ll want to book early for one of the funniest nights of the festival.

Tickets £13.20

18+ n Lemon Tree Lounge

ted hill Teaches You Science, Most of Which Is True Sat 26 September 2026

2pm

Join professional science presenter, comedian and relentless buffoon Ted Hill for the world’s silliest science lesson. Expect fire, explosions and high-energy mischief, with a little bit of actual learning sprinkled in to make the grown ups happy. Will it be fun? Yes! Will it be educational? Maybe! “Had us on the floor laughing” - Ant and Dec.

Tickets £12.10 10

5+ n Lemon Tree Studio

Alexandra Haddow deadly (wip) Sat 26 September 2026

6pm

Alex is dying. Or she’s spent most of her life thinking she is. The life of a hypochondriac is a stressful one. Plus, her parents are old now, the world feels like it might be ending, and her life is changing suddenly, so there’s absolutely no time for losing your mind. We may as well have a laugh about it instead, right? RIGHT?!

Tickets £15.40

16+ n Lemon Tree Lounge

Fred MacAulay Good Evening! Sat 26 & Sun 27 September 2026

7:30pm

Now in the fourth decade of his comedy career, Fred MacAulay still loves being on stage doing what he does best… quite simply it’s STAND-UP and his appetite for performing is as strong as it was all those years ago when he took a massive side-ways step from a career as an accountant and Company Secretary into the world of entertainment.

Tickets £22

16+ n Lemon Tree Studio 11

Late Night at The Lemon Tree Sat 26 September 2026

Doors 9:30pm

Tickets £13.20

18+ n Lemon Tree Lounge

robin grainger lemonade Sun 27 September 2026

5:30pm

Robin Grainger gigs for major UK comedy clubs as well as internationally, including shows in Berlin and being handpicked to do a run of shows in Cape Town. As seen on The Comedy Underground (BBC Scotland), the performance was subsequently featured on a “Best of The Comedy Underground” Episode.

Tickets £11 12

16+ n Wild Goose (Victorian Toilets)

ted hill

PowerPoindexter Sun 27 September 2026

7pm

Ted Hill invites you inside his strange and chaotic mind. Expect high-energy jokes, ridiculous visual effects and (funny) graphs. Ted’s always been weird, but now he has a new puzzle to solve: what kind of weird does he want to be? You’ll never see a sillier slideshow… “Extremely funny & incredibly inventive” - Ed Gamble

Tickets £19.80

14+ n Lemon Tree Lounge

John Kearns

Tilting At Windmills Tue 29 September 2026

7:30pm

Taskmaster alumni and double Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner, John Kearns brings his brand new stand-up show Tilting at Windmills. A fragmented, digressing portrayal of a 38-year-old man’s life, alluding to books he hasn’t read, touching on the modern condition. More allusive and bleak as ever, it is unreal the comedian you become. And for who? Decent craic with the right crowd.

Tickets £27.50

16+ n Lemon Tree Lounge 13

FOR FURTHER DETAILS VISIT ABERDEENPERFORMINGARTS.COM/HMT-120

tony roper’s

the steamie Tue 29 September - Sat 3 October 2026

Various times

Step inside a 1950s Glasgow washhouse on Hogmanay, where the water’s hot and the gossip’s even hotter. Magrit, Dolly, Doreen, and Mrs. Culfeathers share laughter, secrets, and dreams while tackling the final wash of the year in Tony Roper’s The Steamie. With songs by David Anderson, this Scottish classic fizzes with patter, pride, and plenty of laughs, a joyful celebration of friendship and the heart of working-class life. Accessible performances available

Tickets from £19 16

n His Majesty’s Theatre

Killian Sundermann

Killian Dollar Baby Wed 30 September 2026

7pm

One of Ireland’s most exciting new comedy stars returns with a brand-new show. After his sell-out UK and Ireland tour in 2025 including a total sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Killian is back with Killian Dollar Baby. Killian is one of the biggest stars of Irish sketch comedy with a huge online following.

Tickets £17.60

14+ n Lemon Tree Studio

Janet StreetPorter Is Still Off The Leash at 80! Thu 1 October 2026

7:30pm

From a bolshy child with a Welsh-speaking budgie to National Treasure, Janet Street-Porter’s life (and language) has always been colourful. Now she finds herself on the cusp of turning 80. The nation’s favourite pissed-off pensioner brings comedy, tragedy and gossip in equal measure, a tour de force rant against growing old gracefully.

Tickets £30.80

14+ n Lemon Tree Lounge 17

Shane Daniel Byrne Baby This Time Thu 1 October 2026

8:30pm

Ireland’s megastar Shane Daniel Byrne is back. You’re invited along for an hour of fast paced and heartfelt stand-up comedy. All his mates are having babies but Shane’s just having the craic! Is that so wrong? Baby This Time is set to be Shane’s most personal show to date.

Tickets £17.60

14+ n Lemon Tree Studio

Rab Mulheron

dr dave wandless ml clipston Fri 2 & Sat 3 October 2026

7:30pm

Rab Mulheron is a local Govan boy from Glasgow but has been living in Inverness for the last 44 years. He has been involved in comedy for the last 4 years and classes himself as a Adult Comedy Storyteller. He has been performing all over the North and North East of Scotland, Glasgow, Kirkcaldy as well as England, Spain, Ireland and and is well known for his ‘blue’ style of comedy.

Tickets £17.50 18

18+ n Breakneck Comedy

connor burns flow

Fri 2 & Sun 4 October 2026

Fri 8pm, Sun 7pm

Don’t miss the all-new show from Scotland’s hilarious new standup superstar Connor Burns, who is widely hailed as one of the most exciting breakthrough artists in the global live comedy scene A social media sensation with hundreds of millions of online views, FLOW is Connor’s 5th solo show - an hour of new standup featuring his intelligent and razor-sharp wit, brilliant jokes and his now-signature, single-malt level of Scottish cynicism that blends perfectly with his relatable everyman take on life, and which in 2025, won him the coveted Forth Fringe Award.

Tickets £29.50

16+ n Music Hall 19

Sophia Wren

The Best Girl in the World Fri 2 October 2026

7pm

Sophia Wren is an electrifying Irish stand-up whose comedy crackles with intelligence and heart. Drawing on family folklore, modern dating disasters and the beautifully absurd realities of Irish life, she crafts tightly written sets that feel both personal and universal. Her stage presence is warm yet mischievous.

Tickets £17.60

16+ n Lemon Tree Studio

Shaparak Khorsandi Work in Progress Fri 2 October 2026

8pm

Shaparak “Shappi” Khorsandi is a celebrated British-Iranian comedian known for her fearless, funny takes on identity, family, and modern life. She’s lit up screens on Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, QI, Have I Got News For You, and even braved the jungle on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!. Shappi’s sharp wit and warm storytelling have made her a household name.

Tickets £15.40 20

n Lemon Tree Lounge

Late Night at The Lemon Tree Fri 2 October 2026

Doors 9:30pm

Tickets £13.20

18+ n Lemon Tree Lounge

Balloonatic Sat 3 October 2026

11am

Mindblowing Magic and the Biggest Balloon in the World - LIVE on stage! … and a whole load of other things that you really shouldn’t try at home! BALLOONATIC is jammed full of amazing magic, balloons and fun for all the family! With over 10 million online views, Gareth has a show that will have you believing magic really DOES exist!

Tickets £11

5+ n Lemon Tree Studio 21

COMEDY CLUB 4 KIDS Sat 3 October 2026

2pm

Since 2005, the Comedy Club 4 Kids has been getting the best stand-ups and sketch acts from the international circuit to do their thing for an audience of children and their families... but without the rude bits! It’s just like a normal comedy club, but it’s on in the day.

Tickets £11

6+ n Lemon Tree Studio

Grace Campbell The Lady is a Tramp Sat 3 October 2026

Doors 7pm

Grace Campbell is a contradiction: loud and anxious, spiritual and materialistic, graceful and… a disgrace. When the world wants her to be easily defined, Grace instead asks: why can’t she be everything at once?

★★★★H “A comedy genius” I NEWS

Tickets £24.75 22

14+ n Lemon Tree Lounge

Larry Dean Hellbent

Sat 3 October 2026

7:30pm

Recently married, emotionally feral. The Gallus Glaswegian Goon returns with a riotous show about refusing to grow up. As seen on SNL UK, Live at the Apollo, QI and The Royal Variety Performance. ★★★★★ Telegraph ★★★★★ Broadway World ★★★★★ Herald

Tickets £28

16+ n Music Hall 23

Laura Lexx Yo-Yo Sat 3 October 2026

8pm

Fresh off the success of her critically acclaimed show ‘Slinky’ (Winner of Best Show at the Women in Comedy Festival and twice nominated for Best International Debut at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival) multi award-winning comedy star Laura Lexx is back with her brand new show ‘YoYo’.

Tickets £19.80

18+ n Lemon Tree Studio

Late Night at The Lemon Tree Sat 3 October 2026

Doors 9:30pm

Late Night at The Lemon Tree brings a multi-bill line-up of festival favourites and surprise guests to the stage. Expect sharp stand-up, a packed room, and plenty of laughs. The line-up will be online soon- but you’ll want to book early for one of the funniest nights of the festival.

Tickets £13.20 24

18+ n Lemon Tree Lounge

COMEDY CLUB 4 KIDS Sun 4 October 2026

2pm

Tickets £11

6+ n Lemon Tree Studio

billy kirkwood mayhem Sun 4 October 2026

5:30pm

A total sell out at this years Edinburgh Fringe. Scottish Comedy Dynamo Billy Kirkwood returns with a new fast, funny and often filthy show that bursts with positivity, frantic observations and improv comedy energy from an awardwinning comic. A show that teaches you not to take life too seriously and embrace your inner silly.

Tickets £11

18+ n Wild Goose (Victorian Toilets) 25

acknowledgements Our festivals simply wouldn’t be possible without the passion, creativity and dedication of our incredible freelance staff and team at Aberdeen Performing Arts. From early planning to the final curtain call, everyone brings energy, expertise, and heart to everything they do. Their hard work behind the scenes ensures the Aberdeen Comedy Festival is a vibrant, welcoming, and memorable experience for artists and audiences alike. We are particularly grateful to the brilliant freelancers who support all our festivals — from producers to technicians to young creatives. Their expertise, flexibility and commitment play a vital role in bringing our event to life and this is felt in every smooth-running show and memorable moment. Thank you to everyone involved, we couldn’t do this without you! Press and PR support: HANNAH BRADLEY CROALL - BRADLEY CROALL PR Aberdeen Performing Arts teams: MARKETING | PROGRAMMING | TECHNICAL | OPERATIONS | BOX OFFICE FRONT OF HOUSE | HOSPITALITY | DEVELOPMENT | FINANCE We would like to thank Aberdeen Inspired for their funding support for Aberdeen Comedy Festival.

aberdeen comedy festival at-a-glance... SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

Sat 19 Russell Howard

4 Thu 1

The Steamie

HMT 16

Fri 18

Al Thompson

Janet Street-Porter

LTL

Tue 22 Maisie Adam

Shane Daniel Byrne

LTS

Wed 23 Alasdair Beckett-King

LTL

6 Fri 2

The Steamie

HMT 16

Thu 24 Andrew Ryan

LTS

Rab Mulheron

Mark Thomas

LTL

Connor Burns

Shazia Mirza

Sophia Wren

LTS

Susan Calman

Shaparak Khorsandi

LTL

Craig Hill

LTL

Late Night at the Lemon Tree LTL

Kim Blythe

LTS

9 Sat 3

Balloonatic

LTS

Comedy Club For Kids

LTS

LTL

Grace Campbell

LTL

Alexandra Haddow

LTL

Rab Mulheron

Shazia Mirza

Larry Dean

Fred MacAuley

LTS

The Steamie

HMT 16

Late Night at the Lemon Tree LTL

Laura Lexx

LTS

LTL

Late Night at the Lemon Tree LTL

13 Sun 4

Comedy Club For Kids

LTS

Billy Kirkwood

HMT 16

Connor Burns

Fri 25

Late Night at the Lemon Tree LTL Sat 26 Ted Hill

Sun 27 Ted Hill Robin Grainger Tue 29 John Kearns The Steamie Wed 30 Killian Sundermann The Steamie

LTS

HMT 16

HMT - His Majesty’s Theatre, MH - Music Hall, LT - Lemon Tree, TT - Tivoli Theatre, BC - Breakneck Comedy, WG - Wild Goose

For full line up and festival news scan the QR code or visit aberdeenperformingarts.com

le, t r o h c d n a le k c u h c n a c u Yo

Aberdeen Comedy Festival returns for 2026, guaranteed to get the Granite City giggling and promising a fortnight of funny across the city from September 19 to October 4.

you can snicker a n

d snort,

The Aberdeen Comedy Festival has gigs taking place in His Majesty’s Theatre, Music Hall and Lemon Tree along with venues across Aberdeen bringing a packed two weeks of fun. Treating you to a memorable experience with top names, the stars of tomorrow and local comedians all set to take to the stage in 2026.

u k c a r c d n a le k c a c n a c u yo The festival is supported by Aberdeen Inspired, who initially ran the festival between 2016 and 2022.

you can even guffaw! Full line up and festival news at aberdeenperformingarts.com/aberdeen-comedy-festival