Line-up Revealed for This Year's Ealing Comedy Festival
Four nights of stand-up with a host of established names this July
Left to right: Rory Bremner, Stephen K Amos, Harry Hill and Lucy Proctor. Picture: Headliners Comedy
April 30, 2026
The Ealing Comedy Festival returns to Walpole Park this summer for four evenings of stand-up across two consecutive weeks, bringing together a mix of established TV names, circuit regulars and rising performers. Now in its long-running home under the big top in Mattock Lane, the festival remains one of west London’s most ambitious outdoor comedy fixtures and with the line-up confirmed, tickets are now on sale.
This year’s programme opens on Thursday 23 July with a gala hosted by Tom Allen, whose sharp delivery has made him a familiar presence on panel shows and entertainment television. The night brings together musical duo Flo & Joan, East London comic Laura Smyth, Irish stand-up Neil Delamere, Kae Kurd and Hal Cruttenden, with an additional unannounced guest expected to join the bill. As with previous opening nights, the line-up leans heavily on well-known names, setting the tone for the festival’s blend of mainstream and alternative comedy.
The following evening, Friday 24 July, shifts to a “triple header” format, with Jo Caulfield compering. Harry Hill, Rory Bremner and Lucy Porter — three acts with very different styles — share the stage. Hill’s surrealism, Bremner’s political impressions and Porter’s conversational stand-up reflect the festival’s habit of programming contrasts rather than themed nights,.
Week two begins on Thursday 30 July with another trio of headliners: Paul Chowdhry, Milton Jones and Finlay Christie, with Stephen K Amos as MC. Chowdhry’s arena-level following, Jones’s one-liner craft and Christie’s younger-generation perspective again underline the festival’s tendency to mix established acts with newer voices.
The festival closes on Friday 31 July with a line-up hosted by Stephen Bailey and featuring Mike Bubbins, Lou Sanders, Jamali Maddix, Scott Bennett and Ian Stone, plus a further special guest. It is the most eclectic of the four nights, bringing together performers known for everything from observational storytelling to experimental or confrontational stand-up.
Crowds in the Big Top in Walpole Park. Picture: Headliners Comedy
Tthe festival continues its tradition of presenting a broad cross-section of British comedy rather than a single house style. For regulars, the appeal lies as much in the setting — Walpole Park at midsummer, with audiences arriving early to picnic before the tent opens — as in the chance to see well-known acts in a more intimate environment than their usual tour venues.
Gates open at 6pm, with shows beginning at 7.45pm. Tickets range from £29 to £36.
All performances take place in a marquee within Walpole Park, Mattock Lane, Ealing.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |