Southport – were you not entertained…?
This year’s Southport Comedy Festival, sponsored by Halliwell Jones BMW, brought an incredible 24 of the country’s top comedians to town for 15 fantastic gigs over 17 fun-packed days.
The event’s best ever line-up was crowned in style on Sunday night (16th October) when Pub Landlord Al Murray wowed yet another sell-out audience, following hot on the heels of Jason Byrne on Saturday night and Jeff Green on Friday night for an unforgettable weekend.
Jason Byrne (left) with Brendan Riley and Val Brady at Southport Comedy Festival 2022Other stars appearing on stage this year included: Milton Jones, Paul Sinha, Ed Byrne, Jo Caulfield, Maisie Adam, Jimeoin, Sam Avery, Reginald D Hunter, Chris McCausland, Mark Simmons, Rachel Fairburn, Charlie Hopkinson, and Festival Director and comedian Brendan Riley.
Jeff Green flew in all the way from Australia to perform a unique, one-off gig. Paul Sinha appeared after being recognised as one of the top three acts at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
Many of the acts were instantly recognisable from a huge array of TV credits on shows including: Live At The Apollo, Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You, The Last Leg and others.
They were A-list names at the top of their profession who were determined to perform in Southport, at a Festival whose star shines brighter each year.
The original Southport Comedy Festival – then Southport Comedy Week – was axed over a decade ago before being rescued and resurrected by local couple Brendan Riley and Val Brady.
They said: “It was a packed house for our closing show of this year’s Southport Comedy Festival in association with Halliwell Jones BMW, The astonishingly brilliant master of improvisational comedy Al Murray the Pub Landlord in our beautiful marquee at Victoria Park in Southport.
“We have had 15 amazing nights of comedy over 17 days, our biggest and best yet.
“Thank you to all of you who came to watch and support our festival, to our brilliant volunteers and our amazing sponsors who without your continued support the festival could not happen.”
Every gig this year took place inside a luxury heated and seated marquee, provided by Elite Marquees, with food on offer from Trattoria 51 and a bar service on site.
In addition to the top comedy names, the Festival also hosted the 2022 Southport New Comedian of the Year competition, sponsored by Dragon Soop. It saw eight superb new comedians performing on stage in a contest that was won eventually by the brilliant Samantha Day.
There were two very well attended community events too. An evening of Disco Bingo saw funds raised for Southport Flower Show, while a night of Comedy Bingo raised funds for Queenscourt Hospice in Southport. Both nights were hosted by Brendan Riley.
This year’s Festival was also well supported by a number of local companies, including Premium Trade Cars; Flooring UK; Dowhigh Limited; bro design studio; Ocean Plaza; Seacon UK; Crystal Clear Opticians; Anthony James Estate Agents; S.B. Patel & Co; Paul Ennis; The Print Quarter; Tower Heating; Hodge Halsall; Acorn Insurance; Bliss Hotel; Elbow Lane Dental Care; Hatter’s Digital Agency; Specters Solicitors; KGV College; Southport College; Howdens; Merseyrail; and Stand Up For Southport.
- Planning is already underway for Southport Comedy Festival 2023! Keep up to date with all the latest news and ticket details at: southportcomedyfestival.com and by following Southport Comedy Festival on Facebook, on Twitter and on Instagram.
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