Featuring over two weeks of comedy performances, Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival takes place in July each year.
Just For Laughs Festival
Founded in 1983 the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival is an internationally-known comedy festival. It celebrates its 40th year in 2022. The 2022 edition of the festival runs from July 13th to 31st, although the headline acts are all in the last week.
The festival was originally intended as a French-language-only event. However, in 1985 it expanded to include English performers as well.
Although the festival is based in Montreal several other Just For Laughs festivals take place across the continent. One other popular event is the JFL Northwest Comedy Fest in Vancouver.
Where and When
In 2022 the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival takes place from July 13th until 31st with shows daily during that time. The 2020 festival was unable to take place due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2021 edition was a hybrid event with some in-person and some online performances but the 2022 shows are all in-person!
Performances happen at venues across the city. The biggest solo shows take place at the Bell Centre, with other venues including Salle Maisonneuve and Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts, L’Olympia, MTELUS, Club Soda and more.
Performances
The full schedule of events for the 2022 festival is available on the Just For Laughs website. Some of the biggest shows are listed below.
- July 26, 28 and 30, 2022 – Neal Brennan: Unacceptable.
- July 28, 2022 – John Mulaney: From Scratch.
- July 29, 202 – Hasan Minhaj: The King’s Jester.
- July 29, 2022 – Kevin Hart: Reality Check.
- July 30, 2022 – Bill Burr (Slight Return).
In addition to those solo shows there are plenty of other events at the festival. They include various “galas” hosted by different comedians that provide more variety in their lineup. These galas are made up of a number of comics who perform shorter sets one after the other. Gala hosts in 2022 include Russell Peters, Ronny Chieng, Chelsea Handler and more. There are also smaller shows like The Nasty Show and Just For the Culture that provide regular entertainment throughout the entire run of the festival.
Admission
Prices for the 2022 Just For Laughs Festival are still to be determined as of late March. For comparison, prices for the 2019 festival are listed below:
- Two Show Pass – $99
- Three Show Pass – $139
- Five Show Pass – $215
Other Information
For more details visit the official Just For Laughs Festival Montreal website.
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