New name, new venues and new acts to be revealed for Carlow comedy festival
Comedian Karl Spain will launch the Carlow Comedy Festival on Monday in The Barracks pub
CARLOW Comedy Festival is back in early December and this year it’s getting a major makeover with a new name, new venues, new acts and an expanded countywide programme.
Building on the success of previous years, the 2026 festival has been redesigned as a countywide celebration of comedy, entertainment and live performances. This year’s programme will feature events across 16 venues, bringing audiences into pubs and venues in Carlow town, as well as Tullow and Bagenalstown, over four days.
The laughter gets underway on Thursday 3 December with a special opening event in The Tower, Tullow Street, which will see some brave new faces in the spotlight. Eight people will take to the stage and try their hand at stand-up comedy, with each getting ten minutes to win over the audience.
From there, the festival moves into full swing with a packed weekend of comedy, entertainment and music. Friday night will see the first of the festival's headline acts take to the stage, followed by a programme of shows across the county throughout Saturday and Sunday, including performances in Tullow and Bagenalstown, before the festival draws to a close in Tully's bar, Tullow Street on Sunday night.
Working with Shannon Basso Gaule, the festival has been redesigned for 2026 to broaden its appeal and offer something for a wide range of audiences and ages.
While comedy remains firmly at the heart of the festival, this year’s programme has been developed to provide different ways for people to get involved, including offerings designed with parents and families with young children in mind, alongside the evening comedy and entertainment programme.
Tickets for the festival will officially go on sale on Tuesday 13 October, immediately following the launch. With previous festival tickets selling out quickly, audiences are being encouraged to book early once this year’s programme is announced.
The organisers encourage anyone with an interest in comedy, live entertainment or finding out what's happening in Carlow in December to attend to the launch.
The official festival launch takes place at 6pm on Monday 12 October in the Barracks, Carlow. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Tickets for the festival will go on sale from Tuesday 13 October. For further information, e-mail enterprise@carlowcoco.ie or contact 059 9129783.
