Comedy giants and Welsh talent unite as Aberystwyth hosts biggest comedy festival yet

Molly Stubbs

The ‘Welsh capital of comedy’ is set to host its seventh annual comedy festival this October, welcoming a wealth of talent and visitors from around the UK.

Aberystwyth Comedy Festival will feature 50 of the best UK-based acts, following ‘work in progress’ slots at Machynlleth Comedy Festival in the spring.

The festival takes place from 3 – 5 October 2025, and unlike previous years, every event will be held in Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

Vibrant

In previous years, shows were spread through venues around Aberystwyth. This year, however, the comedy fest has said that: “Bringing everything together under one roof means we can create a more vibrant, sociable, and accessible experience for you, our audience.

“This change also helps us navigate the financial challenges facing festivals today and ensures we can keep delivering a sustainable event that you love.”

This year, Welsh export Kiri Pritchard-Mclean returns to bring her popular BBC Sounds experience ‘Kiri’s Comedy Club’ back to the stage on Saturday, showcasing a blend of up-and-coming Welsh comedians as well as local favourites.

Speaking of favourite homegrown talent, on Sunday Steffan Alun will host the comedy translation gig, an “anarchic and unpredictable show” presented in Welsh and translated into English by the comedians themselves.

Carys Eleri also brings her hilarious hit ‘Tonguing’ to the fest, alongside a reading of scripts from this year’s Comedy Lab Cymru writers Mel Owen and Cerys Bradley.

But it’s not all stand-up. For a scientific look into what we find funny and why, join Dr Gil Greengross on Friday evening for his talk, ‘Wit Happens: A Light-hearted Dive into the Science of Humour.’

Line-up

Alongside Welsh comedians, the festival will welcome several much-loved acts from around the UK, including Stewart Lee with his show ‘Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf’, a set from Taskmaster alum Sophie Duker, and James Acaster, who will be trying out ideas for a new bit.

For the full line-up, the comedy fest’s programme is available here. Aberystwyth is served by its train station, and the festival suggests guests coming from further afield book to stay in one of the town’s 50 hotels.

Tickets are available on an individual basis for shows, and can be purchased in advance online through the comedy festival’s site. Alternatively, last-minute tickets can be purchased on the days of shows at Aberystwyth Arts Centre’s box office.