Comedy Takes Centre Stage Across Aberdeen This Autumn
A big festival comeback puts comedy at the heart of the city.
Some of the biggest laughs from this year’s Edinburgh Fringe are heading north, bringing back a festival that’s been missing from the city’s cultural calendar since 2021 — a gap that left a noticeable silence in Aberdeen’s comedy scene. as Aberdeen Comedy Festival makes its return from 22 September to 5 October. After a three-year pause, the festival is back in the city centre with more than 40 comedians performing across theatres, clubs and pubs.
It’s not just the line-up that catches attention this year, but the choice of venues. The programme spreads across a wide mix of spaces, from His Majesty’s Theatre to the Lemon Tree Lounge and Breakneck Comedy’s late-night basement. You might catch Daniel Sloss at the Music Hall, then see Elf Lyons or Marcel Lucont in a much smaller space the following night.
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Fringe favourites with fresh shows
Watching high-profile comics in more intimate surroundings is a pretty unique experience. It creates a closeness that suits acts with a bit of bite or chaos in their material.
The bill includes a mix of rising comics and recognisable names. Connor Burns, Kieran Hodgson, Angela Barnes, Sophie Duker and Craig Hill are among those bringing new shows north. Stewart Lee is back with a character piece. Ignacio Lopez performs his sci-fi family adventure Juan Solo in the afternoon, then switches to his adult stand-up Nada! later the same evening.
The festival’s family programming is a strong point this year. Comedy Club 4 Kids, Shelf, and Marcel Lucont’s game show Les Enfants Terribles all bring something playful and a little unusual. Lucont’s show encourages kids to compete for the title of most awful child. It’s ridiculous and sharp in the best way.
A different kind of comeback
This return feels less like a revival and more like a clean slate. The programme avoids nostalgia and instead focuses on variety, risk and fun. There’s a good balance between household names and comics still building their following.
Aberdeen knows how to host this kind of festival. There’s an appetite for something a bit off-centre, and a willingness to show up for both polished acts and the ones still working it out. That mix gives the festival a bit of grit and makes it worth paying attention to. Tickets are on sale now from the Aberdeen Comedy Festival page on Aberdeen Performing Arts.
Full Aberdeen Comedy Festival 2025 Line-up
Monday 22 September
- Chris McCausland: Yonks! – Music Hall
- The Fashed and The Furious – His Majesty's Theatre
Wednesday 24 September
- Gary Faulds: Panic at the Midlife Disco – Tivoli Theatre
- Matt Richardson: Comedy Night – Cheerz
Thursday 25 September
- Chris McCausland: Yonks! – Music Hall
- Lou Conran: Gooch – Lemon Tree Studio
Friday 26 September
- Connor Burns: Gallus – Music Hall
- Stuart Mitchell: Tips Not Included – Tivoli Theatre
- Elf Lyons: Horses – Lemon Tree Studio
- Neil Skene: Seeing it the Doric Way – Breakneck Comedy
- Rory O’Hanlon, Steve McLeod & Steve Johnson – Breakneck Comedy
- Late Night at the Lemon Tree – Lemon Tree Lounge
Saturday 27 September
- Comedy Club 4 Kids – Lemon Tree Studio
- Adam Kay: Undoctored – Music Hall
- Kieran Hodgson: Voice of America – Lemon Tree Lounge
- Dr Dave Wandless: Straight Outta Practice – Breakneck Comedy
- Late Night at the Lemon Tree – Lemon Tree Lounge
Sunday 28 September
- Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf – His Majesty’s Theatre
- Ignacio Lopez: Juan Solo’s Excellent Adventures in Space – Lemon Tree Studio
- Ignacio Lopez: Nada! – Lemon Tree Studio
Thursday 2 October
- Bridget Christie: Witch – Music Hall
- Sophie Duker (Work in Progress) – Lemon Tree Studio
Friday 3 October
- Daniel Sloss: Live – Music Hall
- Mark Watson: Before It Overtakes Us – Lemon Tree Lounge
- Marcel Lucont's Whine List – Lemon Tree Studio
- Robin Grainger – OGV Taproom
- Scott Forbes: Live – Breakneck Comedy
- Billy Kirkwood & Martin Bearne – Breakneck Comedy
- Late Night at the Lemon Tree – Lemon Tree Lounge
Saturday 4 October
- Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles – Lemon Tree Studio
- Craig Hill: Wait 'Til You See My Entrance! – Lemon Tree Studio
- Angela Barnes: Angst – Lemon Tree Studio
- Deirdre O’Kane: O’Kaning It – Tivoli Theatre
- Craig Campbell: Raging Gracelessly – Breakneck Comedy
- Peter Wood: Back in the Day – Breakneck Comedy
- Billy Kirkwood & Martin Bearne – Breakneck Comedy
- Late Night at the Lemon Tree – Lemon Tree Lounge
Sunday 5 October
- Shelf – Lemon Tree Studio
- Rory Bremner: Making an Impression – His Majesty’s Theatre
