Hallowe’en in Galway is ‘Comedy Christmas’ as the 2026 Comedy Festival returns for the October Bank Holiday to light up the city through darkening days.
Spanning international headliners, Irish comedy greats, and the best emerging talent on the circuit, tickets are on sale now for 60 shows across 14 venues over seven days and nights from October 20 to 26.
International comedy talent at #GCF26 features: New Zealand’s Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords, Our Flag Means Death ), Australia’s fabulously filthy and hilarious Vanessa Larry Mitchell, and from our neighbouring island: British comedy legend Jack Dee, Taskmaster’s Mike Wozniak, and their madcap countrymen Spencer Jones & Terry Alderton.
Homegrown heavy hitters include Tommy Tiernan, Emma Doran, Dara Ó Briain, Ireland’s Queen of Comedy Deirdre O’Kane, the Godfather of Irish Comedy Barry Murphy, Serena Terry, Sharon Mannion, David McSavage and Andrew Maxwell; as well as swiftly-rising stars Shawn Uyosa, Sinéad Quinlan and Darren Gaffney.
In a fresh departure for the festival, there will be three nights of theatre as part of #GCF26, with a third night just added for the smash hit comedy play The Kavanaghs: Married with Parents - written by Al Porter and Karl Spain. A hilarious new farce about Generation Stuck - starring Al Porter, Ryan Andrews, Aisling O’Neill, Phelim Drew, and comedians Willa White & Enya Martin.
For culture and craic, few places in Ireland can rival Galway, which for one week becomes the nation’s Comedy Capital. Expect nothing but fun from Danny O’Brien, Micky Bartlett, John Colleary, Bernard O’Shea, Taran O’Sullivan & Bernard Casey in mixed-bill shows bursting at the seams.
Amidst this October’s incoming smorgasbord are two comics who previously managed the near impossible - impressing Simon Cowell, who declared New Jersey’s Maureen Langan as “so funny…fearless!” and hailed Aussie Georgie Carroll as "just brilliant". Meanwhile, Tyrone’s IMRO Award-winning Emer Maguire - described by the BBC as the “indie Victoria Wood” - returns to Galway this October following her sold-out Róisín Dubh debut during Galway Pride.
Galway Comedy Festival's HQ, Róisín Dubh, will be the location for an array of mixed bills as well as solo shows from Tommy Tiernan, Spencer Jones’ Experimental Kids Show and Vanessa Larry Mitchell, to the world-class unscripted genius of The Improv All Stars. And, in a coup for #GCF26, it premieres the Irish screening of Exiled In Ireland. Starring Festival regulars Joe Rooney and Ian Coppinger, this is a comedy about three misfit priests who think God has exiled them while stranded on a retreat during lockdown.
Every night of #GCF26 at the Festival Club in Róisín Dubh, revellers can keep the fun whizzing into the wee hours with live bands, club nights, and most importantly: The Late Night KARLnival with Karl Spain and guests. For die-hard comedy fans, this is the essential, unmissable, institution of the festival, where comedians can let loose, deliver their darkest material and push boundaries.
Each year, Galway Comedy Festival’s programme showcases comedy of multiple genres and languages, including the dinner theatre smash-hit Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience; Irish-language gags at Gáire as Gaeilge le Eddie Mularkey, Paddy McDonnell, Seán Begley agus Aideen McQueen; and the trail of laughter that is the Comedy Club Crawls snaking their way around the city's streets and afternoon venues, plus Laughter Yoga - an interactive and contagious group activity which is silly, social and totally ridiculous.
At Pálás Cinema, podcast fans can dive into the smash-hit Weird Ireland Podcast where host Brinsley McNamara will provide insight into Ireland’s history of Hallowe'en. Irish telly fans can catch solo shows from familiar faces Risteárd Cooper (Après Match ), Martin Maloney (The Hardy Bucks ) and The Stars of Father Ted with Joe Rooney, Patrick McDonnell & Kevin Gildea.
Galway Comedy Festival will also take part in Gaillimh Ah-Boo!, featuring a spooktacular programme of storytelling, cabaret, music, comedy and family entertainment.
The third annual CroíACT (pronounced “Craic’d” ) will see eight brave Galwegians - mentored by Karl Spain - step outside their comfort zone to deliver a stand-up comedy set for the very first time - and raise much needed funds Croí and ACT for Meningitis.
