York Comedy Festival has announced its 2026 line-up as the massive open-air comedy event prepares to return for its second edition this July as part of Live at York Museum Gardens. Bringing together some of the biggest names in comedy with over 3000 fans in a picturesque city centre setting, York Comedy Festival is one of the UK’s largest outdoor comedy events and is ready to return following an acclaimed sell-out debut in July 2025.
Leading the announcement are headliners Russell Howard (pictured) and Ross Noble (Have I Got News For You, BBC Radio 4’s Just A Minute)
Joining them on the bill for the all-day festival is Edinburgh Comedy Award winning stand-up and presenter Russell Kane, Irish stand-up and podcast sensation Joanne McNally (Taskmaster, My Therapist Ghosted Me), ‘Big Kick Energy’ podcaster and comedian Suzi Ruffell, cult-stand up hero turned viral-sensation Jeff Innocent, ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ finalist and ‘Live at The Apollo’ star Nabil Abdulrashid and and Barry From Watford, the 82 year-old comic creation of Alex Lowe (Clinton Baptiste)
The event will be hosted and MC’d by the brilliant Jarred Christmas, a UK-based New Zealand comic and winner of Chortle’s ‘Best Compere’ award, Christmas has appeared on shows including Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and many more.
York Comedy Festival is part of the Live at York Museum Gardens. Taking place for the third year, the acclaimed city centre outdoor concert series has already announced music headliners Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark who will perform at York Museum Gardens on 9th July to kick off the series with a sold-out show and Self Esteem who will headline on Friday 10th with a supporting line-up including Moonchild Sanelly and Joshua Iden.
Founded in the 1830s and sitting in the heart of the city, York Museum Gardens are over 10 acres of picturesque botanic gardens set against the backdrop of the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey and home to the Yorkshire Museum. Today, the gardens welcome around 1.3 million visitors a year as a space to relax and enjoy.
From bringing musical legends and stand up stars to York along with providing an incredible platform for rising regional talent; the event's promoters, Leeds based Futuresound Group and York Museums Trust are looking forward to another season of creative collaboration to deliver amazing outdoor summer concerts.
York exclusive postcode presale ( YO1 | YO10 | YO19 | YO23 | YO24 | YO26 | YO30 | YO31 | YO32) will go on sale at 10am on 21st January with tickets available here
General sale will go on sale at 10am on 23rd January with tickets available here.
For more information on the series visit:
