The new festival will run at the venue from the 29th July until the 2nd August.
Live comedy will head to Somerset House this summer, with the launch of a brand new comedy festival Laughterama.
The festival will feature seven shows across five days from 29 July – 2 August, set against Somerset House’s backdrop of the Edmund J Safra Fountain Court, the festival will present a series of specially curated open-air shows featuring some of the country’s most celebrated comedians alongside the brightest rising stars on the circuit.
Each show will feature five acts spanning the full breadth of contemporary comedy, from sharp stand-up and surreal storytelling to boundary-pushing performances and cult favourites.
The festival will open with a line-up comprised of Ross Noble and BAFTA nominated comedic actress Bridget Christie. Joining them are acclaimed stand-up Kemah Bob, Friday Night Dinner star Tom Rosenthal, and beloved Welsh podcast host Elis James.
On Thursday 30 July, Parenting Hell co-host Josh Widdicombe headlines a bill that also features acclaimed writer and comedian Rosie Jones, the fearless Michael Odewale, observational favourite Ivo Graham, and multi-award-winning broadcaster John Robins. Audiences can expect an evening packed with quick-fire punchlines and stand-out performances from some of the UK’s most in-demand comedy talent.
Friday 31 July brings together some of the most original voices in contemporary comedy. Mock The Week favourite Dara Ó Briain tops the bill alongside the uniquely inventive ventriloquist Nina Conti. They will be joined by rising star Kiran Saggu, reigning queen of comedy Michelle de Swarte, and the incisive Chloe Petts.
Heading into the weekend, on the 1st of August there will be two shows. The afternoon line-up sees multi-award winning comedian Sara Pascoe joined by the wonderfully eccentric John Kearns, genre-defying comic Li Jin Hao, stand-up favourite Sarah Keyworth, and the fiercely funny Jen Brister. Meanwhile, the evening show sees Netflix star Phil Wang taking to the stage alongside Taskmaster favourite Fern Brady, Saturday Night Live UK’s Ania Magliano, Viceland’s Jamali Maddix, and fast-rising talent Kyla Cobbler.
The final day of the festival, Sunday 2nd August, opens with a stellar afternoon line-up featuring the impeccably sharp Tom Allen, award-winning comedian Lou Sanders, high-energy performer Limahl Germain, acclaimed observational comic Josh Pugh, and fast-emerging star Catherine Bohart.
The festival will conclude with the hugely versatile Nick Mohammed, Off Menu co-host Ed Gamble, cult comedy favourite Tim Key, Live at the Apollo’s Celya AB, acclaimed Scottish comic Christopher Macarthur-Boyd, and Last One Laughing star Amy Gledhill.
Tickets for each show are available via: https://www.laughterama.com/