The first-ever Live Comedy Day will take place on Wednesday, 1st April 2026 to celebrate the UK’s wonderful live comedy sector and those working within it. Promoters and comedians are encouraged to organise special events for the day to shine a spotlight on live comedy around the country and the great work happening at the grassroots level.
The 1st April is when we traditionally launch the annual Funny Women Awards so we will be adding to the Live Comedy Day celebrations by announcing details of the 2026 competition.
Live Comedy Day is the latest project produced by the Live Comedy Association, following on from their recently launched the Stand Up And Give Fund which aims to encourage donations from people who want to support the sector, especially the grassroots community of clubs, comedians, festivals and promoters. It is estimated that there are almost 700 regular comedy clubs operating across the UK and according to the UK Live Comedy Sector Survey Report, 64% of these have been operating for more than 10 years.
BBC Radio 4 will support Live Comedy Day with a series of stand-up specials recorded in comedy clubs across the UK, culminating in a special extended episode of Live From The UK at 9pm on 1st April, with additional programming to be announced.
Jessica Toomey, director of Live Comedy Association and winner of the Funny Women Industry Award, says: “We are delighted to be launching Live Comedy Day and look forward to working with venues, clubs, agents, theatres, festivals and comedians to use the opportunity to shine a light on the incredible contribution we make to the UK. There are ‘national days’ for many things – including Yorkshire Pudding Day, Football Shirt Day, Hummus Day, National Receptionist Day and perhaps more seriously, National Album Day and Record Store Day. We felt there was a great opportunity to work together and have one day to celebrate UK live comedy.”
Julia McKenzie, BBC Radio 4 Comedy and Entertainment Commissioner, comments: “Comedy is integral to our cultural and national identity and brings people together to find resilience, joy and release in this highly skilled artform. Comedians are at the heart of so many hugely successful and much-loved shows on Radio 4, and other BBC content, and we recognise just how important the network of local comedy clubs and promoters are in helping to develop future stars. Radio 4 airs a vast range of stand-up shows and is delighted to partner with the LCA for this inaugural day.”
For more details on the campaign and events being hosted around the country to celebrate, you can check out the Live Comedy Day website here.
