Are you havin’ a laugh?

Get ready to roll in the aisles, when the Jive Cape Town Funny Festival returns this year for its 27th edition, taking over the Baxter Theatre from 28 May - 21 June 2026 with a cast of South African comics, international variety performers and – for the first time – a live band spotlighting the music of the Cape.

Launched in 1997 as a celebration of free expression and the city’s nascent stand-up scene, the festival has grown into what’s been billed as South Africa’s largest and oldest comedy project, with a track record of helping emerging acts hit the big time.  

One of its key pipelines is the Jive Funny Championships, hosted at Canal Walk Auditorium from April to mid-May. The overall winner earns a slot on the Funny Festival bill, with four additional up-and-coming comics from the Championships also set to appear – one per week across the festival run.

This year’s programme also reflects how the festival has evolved beyond pure stand-up.

Internationally, festival founder and director Eddy Cassar has sourced three variety performers from Europe and the UK. They include Michael Woodhams, a Britain’s Got Talent finalist known for singing impersonations; Dani Regano from Spain, whose act involves large-scale balloon artistry using giant weather balloons; and Italian shadow artist Matteo Fraziano, who creates finger-shadow ‘portraits’ of music legends on backing tracks.

On the local comedy front, the line-up includes Robby Collins, Jason Goliath, and Cape Town favourite Emo Adams. Alan Committie returns as master of ceremonies for what will be his 17th year in the role, playing laugh-traffic-controller between stand-up, variety and music.

Variety acts first joined the line-up in 2005, and in 2026 the show adds live music to the mix, with a band led by Sean de Vries alongside Sean D and the Funny Festival Band.

Need to know

• The Jive Cape Town Funny Festival runs 28 May to 21 June 2026 at the Baxter Theatre.
• Tickets, via Webtickets, cost R250pp, with generous discounts for group bookings
• No guests under-16 are allowed

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