Leicester Comedy Festival has revealed the finalists for its flagship competitions: Leicester Comedian of the Year, UK Pun Championships, and its artist development programme, Circuit Breakers.
Supporting exciting new voices alongside established names remains central to the festival, which celebrates the art of comedy - with 700 shows across the county in February 2026.
Leicester Comedian of the Year returns to The Y Theatre on 21 February 2026. The show will be hosted by Live at the Apollo and QI favourite Emmanuel Sonubi and will see eight comedians, nominated by industry professionals, take to the stage. The event is headlined by 2025 winner Louise Atkinson. Previous winners of the coveted title include Josh Widdicombe, Johnny Vegas, Jason Manford, Seann Walsh, and Rhod Gilbert.
Leicester Comedian of the Year 2026 finalists are:
Chloe Reynolds
Ciara O’Connor
Jack Kelly
Oliver Moore
Oro Rose
Sapphire McIntosh
Sydney May
Valeria Vulpe
The UK Pun Championships return for their 12th year in 2026. Eight quick-witted acts will step into a boxing ring at De Montfort Hall on 9 February, to battle it out for the title of Pun Champion, and coveted winner’s belt! This evening of knockout laughs will be hosted by Jason Byrne.
UK Pun Championships 2026 finalists are:
Adam Pickard
Katie Pritchard
Louie Falls
Mary Cross
Nayim Ali
Paggy Gacheva
Richard Stott
Richard Woolford
Circuit Breakers, a Leicester Comedy Festival flagship initiative highlighting & supporting emerging talent brings two exciting mixed bill shows to The Big Difference on 13 & 14 February 2026, hosted by Sian Davies.
Circuit Breakers 2026 participants are:
Ben Treloar
Ibs Sesay
Kathy Rivett
Louis Beer
Mia Lewis
Phoebe Taylor
Charlotte Laidet, Festivals and Programme Director at Big Difference Company, the charity behind the festival, said, “Leicester Comedy Festival 2026 celebrates comedy as an art form. The festival is proud to continue to give a voice to new talent and bring people together through laughter. We can’t wait for February and wish all the finalists the best of luck!”
The dates for Leicester Comedy Festival and the UK Kids Comedy Festival are 4 – 22 February 2026. Tickets for all of the shows are available to purchase on www.comedy-festival.co.uk / www.ukkidscomedyfestival.co.uk/
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