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Hastings Comedy Festival 2026
Show listings
Monday 1st June
The Printworks
7:30pm TBA
8:45pm Lara Ricote (Work in Progress)
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer Winner Lara Ricote is a Mexican-American-Venezuelan stand up comedian and writer based in Amsterdam. She won the Funny Women Stage Award in 2021 and the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer in 2022 for her debut solo show GRL/LATNX/DEF, which explores her experiences as a hard-of-hearing Latina woman. Ricote has performed in both English and Spanish across Europe and Latin America. She has appeared on Live At The Apollo, Mel Giedroyc’s Unforgivable, Question Team, QI, Alan Davies' As Of Yet Untitled, Comedy Central Live and World’s Most Dangerous Roads. In 2024, Ricote starred in the Channel 4 Comedy Blap pilot Break Clause written by Jess Bray and directed by Alice Snedden.
The St Leonard
7:30pm Darren Walsh: Do You Like Puns?
£7.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Join Darren Walsh as he road tests new jokes!
8:45pm TBA
Tuesday 2nd June
The St Leonard
7:30pm Spring Day: My Name is Spring Day and Other Stupid Facts (Work in Progress)
£7:50 online/£9 on the door if available
Did you know that Eyes Wide Shut is technically a Christmas movie or that water can’t get wet? Watch Live at the Apollo comedian Spring Day( her real name) prove, in this stand up comedy show that not only is truth stranger than fiction it’s a lot funnier too.'A joke heavy storytelling show'★★★★ On the Mic ‘A sharp set with great punchlines’ ★★★★ One4Review 'Wow!' ★★★★ Beyond The Joke 'Wicked punchlines' - ★★★★ Broadway Baby 'A definite must-see' - ★★★★ ThreeWeeks
9pm Tez Illyaz (Work in Progress)
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
One of the most celebrated stars in British comedy is back with his brand new work in progress hour.As seen on: Live at The Apollo (BBC Two), The Last Leg (C4), Mock the Week (BBC Two), Comedians Giving Lectures (Dave), Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled (Dave), Comic Relief’s Big Night In (BBC One), Live from the BBC (BBC Two), The Chris Ramsey Show (Comedy Central), Live from the Comedy Store (Comedy Central) ★★★★ The Guardian ★★★★ The Times ★★★★ The Telegraph
Observer Building
7:30pm Rhys James (Work in Progress)
£12.50 online/£15 on the door if available
A brand new work-in-progress stand-up show from professional little know-it-all Rhys James. Mock, QI, Apollo. Sure. TikTok. Yep. Instagram? Obviously. But let's be fair, released a book in 2025 too and went on Channel 5 News to plug it. This show will be funny, but maybe not as funny as in a few months' time. This is reflected in the ticket price.
9pm Maisie Adam (Work in Progress)
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
Straight off the back of the latest season of Taskmaster, Maisie's working up her new tour show. Some jokes might work, some might not. It will be obvious which ones are which, to you and to her, but that's part of the fun. Right? RIGHT? As seen on Live At The Apollo, A League of Their Own, and QI.
The piper
7:30pm Lou Wall (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Most Outstanding Show at Melbourne International Comedy Festival Nominee Lou Wall is a multi-award-winning comedian, composer and content creator known for their genre-defying, politically savvy, and musically driven comedy.
In 2023, Lou won the prestigious Moosehead Award and premiered Lou Wall vs The Internet at Melbourne Fringe and Edinburgh—going on to win Best of the Festival at the 2024 Sydney Comedy Festival and earning a nomination for Most Outstanding Show at the 2024 Melbourne Comedy Festival for their show "The Bisexual's Lament".
In 2025, Breaking the Fifth Wall opened to critical acclaim with a Melbourne Comedy Festival Award nomination.
On-screen, Lou has written and performed on ABC’s WTFAQ (2023), and appeared in ABC America’s Reef Break and ABC Australia’s FISK.
8:45pm Joey Page: We would all be ok with the end of the world if only they’d give us the date (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Now do you think if they gave us a date for the end of the world, we would actually all be a bit happier?
Yes, we would all miss sending pictures of shit look-a-likes of each other to our friends. But think of all the small talk we wouldn’t have to have.
No taking the bins out.
No more calories
Cheese strength. Advertising.
This show might be about all of this. It’s not written yet. It’s a WIP.
Wednesday 3rd June
Albion
7:30pm Matt Richardson and Esther Manito share an hour
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Join two comedy whirlwinds - Esther Manito (Live at the Apollo) and Matt Richardson (Dancing On Ice) as they work up material for their next tours. Expect - fast paced, angry and rude jokes by two of comedy’s most in-demand names. Two for the price of one - what a deal!
8:45pm Michael Akadiri: Don’t Call Me Uncle! (Tour Preview)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Following two hit UK tours, Biggest Award in Comedy nominee and resident (junior) Doctor Michael Akadiri prescribes Hastings with a potent preview of his latest offering, Don’t Call Me Uncle! Michael is proud to wear many hats: doctor, husband & father. Evidently, that list does not include uncle. Yet, despite only being in his early 30s, “the supremely talented and likeable” (Metro) doctor, for the first time ever, was recently called uncle in public - This has sent him spiralling! Join him as his fights this lurid allegation with his trademark “sharp-wit” and “hugely entertaining” (Chortle) anecdotes. 16+
10pm Russell Hicks: The America Ground is Mine!
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
American stand up comedian Russell Hicks is back In Hastings after selling out every shows he's done with the festival since 2018
He’s appeared in multiple feature films including Edgar Wright's The Running Man (2025). You also may have seen his phenomenally successful 'Dear Diary' series on Instagram, which has amassed millions of views.
Last year's show was about his life in the UK. This year it's about…him. He’s back. And this time… it’s personal.
As seen on ITV, BBC, Channel 4, Prime Video
Winner of the 2024 Prague Fringe Festival and two-time Leicester Festival Best Show Nominee
Jenny Lind
7:30pm Claire Voyant: Please Don't Eat The Props (Work in Progress)
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Funny, silly and mildly magical — local performer Olivia Post launches her new comedy character, Clair Voyant.
A comedy magic show featuring clairvoyance, questionable foresight, and at least one object that is more important than it appears. Some predictions come true. Some are edible. None are explained.
Based in Battle (and occasionally venturing beyond the 1066 postcode), A regular performer with the Stables Improv Team (SIT), Olivia has been bothering audiences with offbeat comedy and deeply questionable predictions for longer than strictly necessary.
Warning: May contain nuts. Definitely contains silliness.
Content warning: Mild peril, improbable magic, and baked goods.
8:45pm Alex Kitson: Now Look Here
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Alex Kitson is a multi-award-winning stand-up, writer and performer. Cutting his teeth in Bristol—where he founded and MC’d several hit nights including the Chortle Award-winning White Bear Comedy Club—he was hailed as “the best of Bristol’s rising comics” (Bristol 24/7) and a “Bristol comedy legend” (The Kettle). Now London-based, his debut hour earned multi-award nominations at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe, including ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer and Dave’s Funniest Joke, with gags picked among the year’s Best Jokes by national press. His 2025 follow-up, This Is Water, sold out, drew a clutch of ★★★★★ reviews, and was named one of the best-reviewed shows of the Fringe by British Comedy Guide. Kitson has written for the BBC and Channel 4, supported Fin Taylor, Tom Ward, Tom Houghton, Morgan Rees, Ed Patrick and Vittorio Angelone on tour, and his first book, Embarrassment (and my usual excuses), is due later this year. “The future of British comedy” ThreeWeeks
Frenchs
7:30pm Sam Coade: Birth of the Fool (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Sam Coade (BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland) brings a work-in-progress version of his debut solo show to Pleasance Theatre. Join him as he explores jazz, community, and what it means to be in the moment in this offbeat show. 20 million views online.
Pleasance Reserve Nominee Winner: Best New Act Runner Up: West End New Act
‘Fantastic’ Evening Standard ‘You v v funny’ Sam Campbell ‘One of the best acts I've seen recently’ Rich Wilson
8:45pm Micky Overman (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
With over 50 million views on social media, Dutch comedian Micky Overman burst onto the UK comedy scene in 2016 as a finalist in both Funny Women and Leicester Square New Comedian competitions, going on to receive a Chortle Best Newcomer nomination in 2018.
Her successive Edinburgh Fringe shows—Role Model (2018), Presenting Miss Micky Overman (2019), Small Deaths (2022), The Precipice (2023), and Hold On (2024)—have earned her widespread critical acclaim.
Her latest tour for her critically acclaimed show "Hold On" had sell-out shows across the UK and Europe, including a sold-out show at Amsterdam's prestigious Royal Theatre Carré.
A sharp writer and confident performer, Micky has written and acted in sketches for ITV2’s The Stand Up Sketch Show, Channel 4’s Crizards – Quicksand!, BBC Three’s Women’s Underground Secret, and programmes by Pulped and The Hook
Her podcast Thank F** For That* with Sarah Keyworth and her own social media sketches have garnered millions of views.
The Piper
7:30pm Ali Woods (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Fresh off his latest tour, award-winning stand-up and viral sensation Ali Woods returns to Hastings to work on new material!
8:45pm Jody Kamali: Barbecue (Work in Progress)
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Some dads leave you wisdom, tools, or money. Mine left me with stories so wild they sound made up. It’s 29.10.2025. Welcome to the Barbecue. A work-in-progress character comedy from award-winning performer Jody Kamali. ‘exuberantly, unapologetically mindless... too funny’ The Guardian, 'an astonishing tour de force’ Dark Chat, 'Makes every individual moment entertaining' The Stage
Oscars
7:30pm Tadiwa Mahlunge: Hakuna Ma Tad Tad
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
“I'm back with a new show about how being a refugee forged my ambition, self belief and why I believe you deserve the same Kanye-level confidence I have (without the life-altering trauma). I have in no way cynically leveraged my life story and timed this tour to profiteer off the tense mood on immigration in the nation, and any such accusation will be met with litigation from my mother." – Tadiwa. Tadiwa Mahlunge is one of the fastest-rising stars in British comedy, named by The Times as one of their “Top 3 Stars of Tomorrow”.
Tadiwa has appeared on Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV2), Am I The A**hole (Comedy Central), Comedians Giving Lectures (Dave), Comedy Central Live,
★★★★ “Expect great things from this charming comic.” – The Times
★★★★ “A brilliant, daring storyteller.” – ThreeWeeks
★★★★ ‘Though their styles are different, the circuit might just have created another Jimmy Carr...’ – Chortle ★★★★ “Young and gifted… already looking like the complete package.” – The Scotsman ★★★★ ‘An impressively accomplished and infectiously funny hour, Tadiwa Mahlunge is a name you’ll want to watch out for’ – The Skinny
9pm Tony Law: Behavin Haven
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
Tony Law takes over Oscars on the square for one night only!
Tony Law returns with Behavin Haven, a wildly inventive stand-up show from one of comedy’s true originals. Known for his surreal storytelling, rapid-fire improvisation and gloriously unpredictable mind, Tony takes audiences on a hilarious journey through bizarre observations, absurd tangents and unexpected moments of brilliance. Nothing is off limits and nothing is ever quite what it seems. With cult status across the comedy world and appearances on Have I Got News For You and 8 Out of 10 Cats, Tony Law delivers a unique, laugh-out-loud experience that’s never the same twice. Enter the Behavin Haven — you’ll be glad you did.
pump house
7:30pm TBA
8:45pm Currer Ball: The Neighbours (Work in Progress)
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
A comedy hour about the couple next door. The perfect couple. Except… What were those noises coming through the wall this morning? And who was that knocking at their door in the middle of the night? And what were they really throwing out at the recycling bins? Currer smells a rat, and not just because his flat’s infested. Notting Hill meets Rear Window in a true story packed with jokes and twists
Thursday 4th June
Albion
7:30pm Aaron Simmonds: Death
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
A stand up comedy show from a comedian that cannot stand up. A show all about death that is truly life affirming. And a third thing, Aaron Simmonds, as seen on QI (BBC2), Russell Howard Hour (Sky), The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV) and more has been an award-winning comedian for over a decade, entertaining audiences across the UK and the world, and yet, he maintains the funniest thing he’s ever done is at a funeral. *Content warning* Swearing, Sex and Suicidal ideation (not at the same time).
8:45pm Josh Baulf (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
After bursting on to the comedy scene with his razor-sharp wit and a string of viral videos, Josh Baulf brings a work in progress of his new tour show! Described by Rob Beckett as a comedian 'you have to see live' and hailed by David Walliams as 'a very funny man', Josh delves into the hilarities of millennial life, navigating modern relationships and the quirks of British culture. Appeared on ITV and BBC. 'Laugh out loud funny' ***** (One4Review.co.uk). 'A comedian who will make good on his enormous promise' ***** (ThreeWeeks).
Jenny Lind
7:30pm Maia Tassalini: I Was 22 and Stunning (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
In her debut hour, BBC New Comedian of the Year Finalist 2024 and Pleasance Reserve 2025 alum Maia Tassalini guides the audience through an odyssey of power, shame, gossip, sex, public humiliation and being the world’s number one Monica Lewinsky stan.
‘Maia is a natural. Born to do it. Unreal!’ Shaparak Khorsandi
8:45pm Nathan Cassidy: Ewww!
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Multi-award winning and critically acclaimed comic with a new show about something he doesn’t want to reveal. Warning: contains nudity. Ewwww! ★★★★1/2 ‘An excellent comedian’ One4Review 2025 ★★★★1 ‘Star in waiting. He is untouchable.’ The Times ‘Few have been as deeply moving as Nathan Cassidy. A powerful force on stage’ The Scotsman 2025. Star of 6 Specials, BBC Radio 5 Live and million downloaded podcast 'Daily Notes'. 13 Comedy Award wins/nominations 2019-2025.
Ye Olde Pump House
7:30pm Anna Soden: It Comes Out Your Bum
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Anna’s brain is a bum. Come and see all the nice things that come out of it! Comedian, actor and award-nominated pantomime cow Anna Soden’s madcap debut comedy hour – full of songs, revenge and talking out your ass. ‘Very Funny’ – Harry Hill ‘Soden is superb and has a real gift for comedy’ – British Theatre Guide ‘The pace was snappy, the tone was chatty, the humour batty’ – York Press ‘Practically perfect in every way’ – The Stage 2025 Norman Award Finalist! Featured on Absolute Radio, BBC, Iheart Radio, and millions of views on Tiktok/Instagram
8:45pm Trevor Bickles: Where to Guv?
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Everyone knows what it’s like to be the passenger in a cab, but what’s it like being the driver? Let Trev take you on a journey of his life, loves & like all cabbies… his opinions on everything.
Frenchs
7:30pm TBA
8:45pm Ben Van Der Velde: Van der Laugh Generator
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
One of the best improvisers on the stand-up circuit tries to make sense of the chaos of the world. Join Ben as he squeezes the comedy juice out of everything under the sun, from hunter-gatherers to AI, XL bullies to boardgames and beyond. It'll be a bit like watching Wikipedia having a nervous breakdown. For fans of Ross Noble, Jason Byrne and heroic nonsense. “An accomplished comic.” Time Out “Perfect... the audience were hysterical.” Huffington Post 14+
The Piper
7:30pm Mark Thomas
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
Mark Thomas is 40 in stand up years. In that time he has changed laws on tax, jailed arms dealers, kick started a comedy circuit in Palestine, given evidence before three Parliamentary select committees and has taken the police to court three times and won. The world’s moving far too fast to predict what the content will be but it is the normal stuff of government and personal mayhem, expect jokes, rants, politics, swearing and possible nudity as he emerges from large cake singing happy birthday mr president.*
*Cake correct at time of publication.
Milo Edwards (Work in Progress)
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
Critically acclaimed comedian Milo Edwards is trying out some new jokes. Sell-Out show at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025 Newcastle Fringe Best Comedy Show Nominee 2025 “Edwards has quietly become one of the UK’s smartest, most vital stand-ups” - Chortle, 'Near perfect.' ★★★★★ The Wee Review, 'Milo Edwards’ comedy is a little like marmalade.' ★★★★★ Broadway Baby 'He must surely go onwards and upwards.’ ★★★★ The Daily Telegraph Leicester Comedy Festival Best Show Nominee 2023/ 24.
Oscars
7:30pm Erika Ehler
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Emmy nominated writer and comedian, as seen on Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC Two), Comedians Giving Lectures (Dave) and Comedy Central Live, Canadian-born Erika Ehler made a striking debut at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, named as an "act to watch” by The Skinny and Rolling Stone, with critics praising her dark, incisive comedy and sharp delivery.
In 2024, she returned with her second hour, I Got Some Dope Ass Memories With People That I’ll
Never Fck With Again*, at Monkey Barrel Comedy.
A graduate of Salford University’s Comedy Writing & Performance course, and winner of the Chortle Student Comedy Award 2019, Erika has also written for Roast Battle (Comedy Central), Have I Got News for You (BBC), Never Mind the Buzzcocks (Sky), and Death to 2020 (Netflix), The World According to Cunk (Netflix) establishing her as one of the UK’s most distinctive and promising comedy voices.
8:45pm Fab Goualin (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
BBC New Comedy Award Nominee and So You Think You’re Funny? Finalist, Fab Goualin is building his first one hour show. In June, he will be bringing his sharp observations, oddball logic, and high-energy charm to Hastings for the first time - spinning everyday moments into brilliantly weird stories. 14+
Friday 5th June
East Hastings Angling Club
8pm Red Richardson
£15 online/£17.50 on the door if available
Red Richardson is an internationally renowned stand up comedian, writer, and actor. His ‘Stay Toxic’ videos have well over a hundred million views on Instagram alone and his stand up shows sell out theatres and comedy clubs across the globe. In 2023 his stand up show ‘The Best of Red Richardson’ sold out the Leicester Square Theatre in under 24 hours. In 2024 Red embarked on his Bugatti live tour, which he took to America and sold out the legendary comedy store in LA twice with venues selling out months in advance and extra shows being added in every city of The UK and Ireland. He sold out London's iconic Shepherd’s Bush Empire and added Australian dates due to demand in what is now at the time of writing, a 90-date global sell out tour.
He is a regular performer at ‘Ricky Gervais and Friends’ live stand up shows with comedian Ricky Gervais and appeared in numerous comedy sketches with Gervais for Ricky's ‘Dutch Barn’ vodka company.
9:30pm TBA
Sugarpie Honeybuns
7:30pm Sarah Roberts: Scary Movie 7 (Work in Progress)
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Sarah Roberts (BBC New Comedy Awards, The Guardian's Funniest Comedians of the Fringe, Rolling Stone's Rising Stars of 2024 and 2025 Chortle Award Nominated Shitposter) is doing a blood ritual (work in progress show), and you’ve been summoned to merge souls. 'Mischievous, playful and very loveable' ***** EdFringe Review 'Razor-sharp' ***** The Reviews Hub 'Riotously funny' **** The Student 'Remarkable' **** The Comic's Comic
8:45pm Rodney: Fear of Failure
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Fear of failure is a one-man stand-up comedy show from the wickedly funny comedian Rodney Beckford. The show centres on some of his more momentous mistakes, miss steps, errors and short comings. Through personal story telling, anecdotes and out an out joke telling. There’s plenty of ground to cover and lots of people, groups and institutions to poke fun at. From his beginnings and childhood in the midlands, he guides us through his adult working life to date and offers up a number of takeaways we might all learn from. It’s simple, straight forward, engaging, entertaining and as you would expect from a stand-up comedian very funny. Everything from saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing and misunderstanding what was intended. To always seeing the funny no matter how bad things get.
Jenny Lind
7:30pm Katie Pritchard is Sir Elton Scone (Work in Progress)
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Leicester Comedy Festival Best Variety Show 2025 nominee Katie Pritchard is BACK with her latest ridiculous romp - Sir Elton Scone - he’s a bit like Elton John but he just looooves to bake (and for copyright reasons he is also nothing like Elton John). His shoulders are 40inches, his voice could fill 40 stadiums, and this b!tch is batch cooking! Expect high-octane musical comedy character madness from this “comedy music powerhouse”★★★★★ VoiceMag. “Literally the most hilarious thing in the world”★★★★★ Pepper & Salt. “One of my favourite shows at this years fringe”★★★★★Phoenix Remix. WINNER Musical Comedy Awards
8:45pm Kittys Salon
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Welcome to the world of Kitty’s Salon. A very silly interactive character comedy show. Kitty will be coming down on the Megabus with a load of new treatments and a vanity case full of gossip & gory details.
Electric Palace
7:30pm Freya McGhee Work in Progress)
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
Freya is using science to try and make her life more successful. Although she only got a 2:2 from the University of Brighton, so perhaps she shouldn’t back herself on that ability.
With over 50K followers online and millions of views, her science jokes are quickly becoming a cult favourite
8:45pm Krystal Evans: I’m Gonna Die in a Ditch (Work in Progress)
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
Join Krystal as she fingerblasts you into her life and finds out in real time which of her anecdotes are funny and/or interesting. Some of it might be about sex. Some of it might be about divorce. Or why Americans involuntarily get really into the American flag around age 50. And why she might possibly never be let back into her own country.
10pm Jaz Mattu Fights His Audience
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
In my comedy career, work life, and actual life, people have tried to fight me. Jaz Mattu Fights His Audience is a show about all those moments and how I deal with conflict, wrapped in one absurd, multimedia stand-up experience. Please don’t try to fight me during the show. “Truly unique.” (ENTERTAINMENT NOW ★★★★) “Ambitious and innovative.” (FEST) “Mattu has a great deal of creativity and ingenuity.” (BROADWAY BABY)
stade hall
7:30pm Pear: 5 (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Top Ten Best Reviewed of the Edinburgh Fringe 2024 and 2025.
6-foot 7 identical twin sketch comedians Patrick and Hugo McPherson bring the Work-in-Progress for their 2026 Edinburgh show to Pleasance Islington!
Expect chaos, props, chaotic props.
8:45pm Pat Cahill: Pat-On-The-Back-Foot-Forward
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Pat Cahill had such a nice time with the folk of Hastings last year he's very happy to be back. Come see a brand new collection of songs gags and maybe dances he's wrangling into a new show, if you like old time daftness, decaffeinated philosophy and stupid musical bits and pieces, then you'll be the right person to see this show.
‘The hardest I've laughed at the fringe this year’ ★★★★ Chortle
10pm Adam Flood: Life and Death of the Party
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Worlds collide in a death-defying genre mashup: standup & rave. A show about the last night out on earth, performed over beats. ‘It shouldn’t work, but it absolutely does’ - The Metro ‘A natural entertainer...one to watch’ - The Times 'A multifaceted comedy talent' - The Guardian
Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Adam’s debut standup show was released in 2025 by the BBC. In 2026 he ran, sober, full speed into a closed glass door.
Brewing Brothers Courtyard
7:30pm Andrew White: What a Life (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
An only-child with two siblings, Andrew White enjoyed a precocious childhood befriending retirees and penning self-indulgent poetry, until a literal circus clown warned him of imminent death on his 18th birthday. All the Jester foretold came to pass, and now Andrew must reflect on life without three close loved ones and do his best to honour their memories. An imperfect guide to living right, dying happy and appealing parking tickets with a 76% success rate; don’t miss this hilarious and heartwarming new stand-up comedy show. **** “A plethora of memorable gags” (Chortle) "Very exciting & very funny" (Joe Lycett) "Outrageously funny" (Broadway World) "F**king funny" (Kiri Pritchard-McLean) "Go see him, he's sublime!" (Maisie Adam)
8:45pm Ayo Adenekan: We've Hit the Second Hour (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Fresh from a sold-out Edinburgh Fringe debut, Award winning Comedian Ayo Adenekan brings fresh, new, never-heard before jokes to the stage for the first and possibly last time ever! It’s gonna be swell!
BBC New Comedy Award Finalist 2025
Comedians Choice Award Best Newcomer nominee 2025
Best Newcomer at the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2025
Oscars
7:30pm Andrew Ryan (Work in Progress)
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
Join Irish Comedian, and host of 'Cork in the North' podcast, Andrew Ryan as he works through new material. Andrew’s quintessentially Irish storytelling abilities and cheeky, friendly demeanour make him a natural stand up. He has appeared on many TV shows in the UK & Ireland He has performed stand-up on BBC3’s Russell Howard’s Good News, Best of the Edinburgh Festival Live on BBC3, The Blame Game on BBC 1, Live at The Comedy Store for Comedy Central, Live for MIND on Comedy Central, and The Secrets of the Comedy Circuit UTV.
9pm Edd Hedges: Open Tabs (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Fresh from hosting the Apple #1 Comedy and True Crime podcast "Wisecrack" Edd Hedges brings his new hour of stories and jokes to the Leicester comedy festival. Over the last year, Edd has been travelling across America, picking up stories he’d like to tell you and quietly wondering whether you’ll find them funny. From appearing at a true crime convention, to receiving a lap dance from a 90-year-old stripper and more places he definitely shouldn’t have ended up, this is an hour built from things that actually happened -- or at least felt real at the time. A regular at comedy clubs across the UK and North America, Edd has appeared at Montreal Just for Laughs, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Edinburgh Fringe festivals. Come see him before he embarks on his first US tour.
Albion
7:30pm Marty Gleeson (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Marty Gleeson is an Irish comedian based in London. Winner of the LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year 2024 her offbeat, disarming and whimsical performance style has also secured her a spot in this year’s Pleasance Comedy Reserve at the Edinburgh 24.
As well previously being selected to perform at the Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year Finals 23 and the BBC New Comedian of the Year Awards 23 she was also voted Funny Women One to Watch 23. She won the Pete Nash Award for Comic Originality 2022 and was a West End New Act of theYear finalist 2022. She has also had viral sketches shared by joe.ie.
“Exudes the vibe of someone not quite of this world” – Chortle
‘The makings of a star comedian’- Beyond The Joke
8:45pm Aidan Jones: Chopin’s Nocturne (Tour Preview)
£12.50 online/£15 on the door if available
I grew up playing classical piano, but failed my conservatory audition at 18. After some time focusing on MDMA, I started stand-up in 2011. During the pandemic I came back to the piano and now I've combined them. It's my favourite piece, Chopin's Nocturne in Eb Major, presented with jokes by a bald, Australian dickhead with a beard. Best Comedy Adelaide Fringe Weekly "Sidesplittingly funny." The Guardian “Punchlines that will leave you laughing for days on end... This is what a well-crafted comedy set looks like!” ★★★★★ - Advertiser, Adelaide “A masterclass…this should not work, but it does.” ★★★★★ - The List "The show is a delight." ★★★★★ - Three Weeks "The most satisfying end to a Fringe show as you’re likely to find this year." ★★★★1/2 - The Quinntessential Review "Deeply moving." ★★★★ - The Scotsman
"Both light-hearted and oddly profound." - ★★★★ North-West End WINNER - Show of the Year, Pegasus Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025 WINNER - Adelaide Fringe Tour Ready Award 2025 The Guardian's 'Best Shows at the Melbourne Comedy Festival’ 2025
Saturday 6th June
Jenny Lind
2:30pm Joe Wells and Abigoliah Schamaun present: Neurodivergent Moments
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
A live book reading and discussion from 2 neurodivergent comedians; Abigoliah Schamaun (ADHD, as seen on Celebrity Pointless and Joe Wells (autistic, “one of my favourite comics” – Frankie Boyle,). Expect cluttered kitchen counters, awkward coworker interactions, trespassing, cheese stealing, tears in the Austrian Alps, burned carpets, mayonnaise, plaque covered teeth, Duck à l'Orange, party poppers and much more as we share some of our favourite "Neurodivergent Moments" - moments in our lives when our brain has acted in an unconventional way. Neurotypicals welcome too. 15+
3:45pm Mike Shephard and Luke Connell: Thesaurus Rex
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Speccy wordsmiths Mike Shephard and Luke Connell have been mucking about with the English language for so long, it’s high time they found out what it really is. What are the stories behind daft words like helicopter, jacuzzi, and barnet? Mike has written extensively for radio and TV, including Have I Got News for You (BBC), The Reluctant Traveler (AppleTV+), and BBC Radio 4’s Now Show, Museum of Curiosity, and The News Quiz. Luke is a professor and stand-up comedian, as heard on BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time. Join them as they crack words open like comedy Easter eggs.
5pm Oliver Moore
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Hastings Comedy Festival Newcomer Winner 2025.
A stand-up comedy show featuring a wide range of material, from longer routines to short, sharp jokes, with some adult themes. Oliver returns to Hastings Comedy Festival following his win at the Hastings New Act Award 2025, alongside finalist appearances at the Chortle Student Awards and the Hoots Edinburgh New Act Awards.
6:15pm President Obonjo: Crowd Work
Jenny Lind £6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
President Obonjo is back in Hastings with his first crowd work show where anything goes the President interrogates his audience for laughs , watch as the President works the room he starts talking to his audience , he chooses who to speak to depending how afraid they look, as he riffs into them , The President is electric on stage and makes the audience feel part of the show. He makes it look effortless.'
White Rock theatre
Studio 27
8pm-10pm Festival Showcase show
Super early bird £12.50/ Early Bird £14/ General sale £17
Welcoming some of the best emerging and established comedians from across the UK and Beyond for a one night only festival special live from Studio 27.
Super early bird available until line up is announced.
The Piper
2:30pm The RH Experience
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Five star comedy group The RH Experience are back! An entirely improvised sketch show, inspired by you. With their unique blend of storytelling and anarchic silliness they have been performing live shows & producing sketches for nearly two decades, and between them have performed at Glastonbury and Latitude Festivals, Edinburgh & Brighton Fringes, and have featured on BBC One, BBC Radio 4 & E4.
“★★★★★ A masterful, magical adventure from truly gifted improvisers“ – JokePit
“★★★★★ Their sheer amount of brainpower and comedic instinct led to hilarity“ TenEighty Magazine
“★★★★ absurd and tear-inducingly funny” Broadway Baby
“These pioneers of tomfoolery make us laugh to the point of exhaustion” – The405
4pm Giant Steps
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Giant Steps is an improv comedy show with a brilliant live band! Improvisation meets improvisation as top UK comedians and virtuoso jazz musicians inspire each other in real time into leaps of comedy and creativity. Sell out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre. Featuring a rotating ensemble of talent from your favourite Fringe improv shows like Showstoppers and Austentatious, plus the cream of the festival music scene, Giant Steps is a one-of-a-kind Fringe experience!'Seamless silliness' ★★★★ Reviews Hub 'An absolute must see' ★★★★★ TheatreWeekly.com
Brewing Brothers Courtyard
5pm Abbie Edwards: Knee Touch
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
It’s easy to romanticise a look your friend gives you, but does he really like you? It’s easy to catastrophise when he starts seeing someone else, but is it the end of the world? Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year Runner Up Abbie Edwards takes you through her first love and how she almost ruined everything. “Original and compelling” – Chortle "Considerable style" - Beyond The Joke Abbie Edwards is a BBC Introducing Radio 4 Comedy Award and BBC New Comedy nominee. Her stand up has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra and BBC Radio Solent. 16+
6:15pm Lil Wenker: Boyking (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
ALL HAIL BOYKING! 37 pounds and 3 feet tall, 8 year-old Joffrey (no relation) seeks power at all costs including but not limited to: death, destruction and mayhem. His crown is mighty, his word is law, his favourite snack...Mummy’s Milk.
Bow down - this coronation’s a killer.
Created by the award-winning performer-director duo Lil Wenker and Cecily Nash.
7:30pm Dom McGovern: Stuns in New Photo (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Stuns in New Photo is the work-in-progress show from award-entering comedian Dominic McGovern (Chicken Shop Date co-writer, BBC New Comedy Awards, Melbourne International Comedy Festival).
Join Dom as he refuses to engage with any form of self-acceptance and instead yaps at you for 55 minutes about rock climbing, Miss Piggy, and the TV show Glee.
Tour support for Sophie Duker and Olga Koch.
‘Endlessly entertaining and outrageously funny’ Rolling Stone
8:45pm Eddy Hare (Work in Progress)
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
A piping hot work-in-progress stand-up show by Eddy Hare.
"A special talent" Rolling Stone BBC New Comedy Award Nominee ★★★★ The Skinny ★★★★ Broadway Baby ★★★★ One4Review ★★★★ Broadway World
10pm Paul Merryck: Lager Jus
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Merryck’s back with a new show that, despite the title, has nothing to do with cooking. Just another hour of new jokes and daft stories to cheer you up in these troubled times. Many comedians produce shows with depth and meaning, that slowly reveal some kind of message, and you leave having learned something about the world around you and, perhaps even, yourself. None of that nonsense here. You’ll learn nothing and may leave slightly thicker than when you arrived. It’s a good laugh though, and goes down well with a pint of chemical Lager or other non-organic beverages.
Ye Olde Pump House
2:30pm-4:30pm Open Mic [Free Entry]
Open mic session hosted by one of our local comedy host family, open to all levels and ages, Friendly, welcoming space for those looking to start their comedy journey, or anyone who'd like a little extra stage time.
5-7 mins slots available to sign up on the day for their slot.
5pm Stephen Catling: Clownfish out of Water
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
When clowns can't breathe water and fish can't breathe air- what's a poor clownfish to do in this cruel world? In 2025, Catling (Malcolm Hardee Award Nominee 2023 & 2025) lost his slug mask. It was kinda essential part of his cult hit show ‘Moving on...really really slowly.’ This time, Stephen explores his life now that Autism has been “unmasked,” as well as his fin flapping rage against an increasingly soulless entertainment industry. "Fans of Harry Hill will appreciate the quickfire absurdity of the hour, cascading with daft jokes, preposterous props and manic sound effects. " Chortle
6:15pm Jake Baker: My Jakey Bakey Heart (Work in Progress)
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Masculinity is in crisis! Alpha-Dogs and Macho Maniacs dominate the conversation. But there is another way. Join this award-winning comedian as he presents a more gentle approach to being a chap. 'Thoughtful and very funny!' (List) 'Quietly impressive; a talent that shouldn't be overlooked' (Chortle) 'Endearingly offbeat' ★★★★ (Ed-Reporter)
EAST HASTINGS ANGLING CLUB
7:30pm TBA
9pm TBA
ELECTRIC PALACE
7:30pm Jin Hao Li: Meet Me on The Moon (Work in Progress)
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
Following his hit sellout debut show, Jin Hao Li is back. This time, he’s taking you to the moon. LOL. Edinburgh Comedy Awards | Best Newcomer Nominee ★★★★★ Telegraph ★★★★★ The Skinny ★★★★★ The Age ★★★★ Observer 14+
8:45pm Jodie Mitchell (Work in Progress)
£10 online/£12.50 on the door if available
Award-winning Drag King, comedian, writer and podcaster Jodie Mitchell co-founded the queer women, trans, and nonbinary comedy collective The LOL Word, and writes and performs as their macho Glaswegian alterego John Travulva with Pecs Drag Kings—winning an OffBroadway Award in 2020. They have appeared on Comedy Central Live and Channel 4’s Jokes Only A Lesbian Can Tell, and served as a writer on Season 3 of Netflix’s Sex Education.
Jodie co-hosts cult podcasts Secret Dinosaur Cult and The Drag King Cast, was a Funny Women Awards finalist (2017), Vault Festival Comedy Breakthrough Award 2023 nominee, and Leicester Square New Comedian semifinalist (2018). Their debut solo hour Becoming John Travulva at Edinburgh Fringe earned critical acclaim.
On radio, they contribute as a writer/actor to BBC Radio 4’s Time of the Week (2024).
Sunday 7th June
the Piper
Newcomer of the year 2026
"the Norman Award"
1:30pm -3:30pm
£5 tickets online/£6.50 on the door if available
Join us for the Hastings Comedy Festival Newcomer award 2026 as 10 new acts battle
it out for the prize of "Norman of the year"
JENNY LIND
1:30pm Madame Chandeliers Grand Theft Opera
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
When Madame Chandelier’s daughter gets sucked into her video game and is kidnapped by the evil Queen of the Night, there’s only one thing to do – gather opera’s fiercest characters for an epic boss battle. Will Carmen, Tosca, and Madame Butterfly help defeat the ultimate boss, or will all arias lead to death? Fun for the whole family! **** “Expert Timing” The Guardian **** “A true diva... phenomenal. Madame Chandelier could be the ticket that opens up opera to new audiences” Broadway Baby. All ages/family friendly show
2:45pm CK Nath: A Bit of Foreign Stuff (Work in Progress)
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
High energy and full of bite! Join CK as she takes you through her upbringing in India, finding herself in the UK and the hilarious joyous moments of culture clash. Blending sharp stand-up, vivid storytelling, and cheeky character work as she channels the conservative Indian mother as easily as a middle class British granny. CK Nath is a finalist of West End New old Act; So You Think You're Funny? and Komedia New Comedy Award semi-finalist
4pm Ali Brice: This is the way we brush our teeth
£6.50 online/£8 on the door if available
Like smiling. But only when I'm unaware of it. If you know you're smiling, you're doing it wrong. Unless you're looking at a camera. Or a dentist. I hope this show makes you smile without realising it. That would make me smile. That'd be nice. It'll be chaotic, heartfelt and silly. Hopefully. See you there. Cheeeeeeeeeeeeese!
**** 'comic genius' Skinny **** 'Ali Brice is funny' List **** 'the most entertaining experience I enjoyed at the Fringe' EdFringeReview **** 'a show like no other' Chortle **** 'a clever, offbeat talent with an appealing penchant for taking risks' Beyond The Joke
SUGARPIE HONEYBUNS
2:45pm Dane Buckley
£7.50 online/£9 on the door if available
Dane Buckley is a fast-rising stand-up sensation and co-host of 'Welcome To Hell' podcast. Join him as he tries out some brand new jokes.The world’s only Irish, Indian, gay comedian… probably. Dane delivers his comedy effortlessly with cheeky charm and camp mischief. He has supported Tom Allen and Rosie Jones on tour, performed on Comedy Central, BBC Three, BBC One and was a finalist for BBC New Comedy Awards (2024) and British Comedian of the Year (2024).
4pm TBA
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