The comedy festival that launched the careers of dozens of late-night stars has been brought back from the dead.
Just for Laughs will return to Montreal in 2025—but first up is a stop in Australia featuring a performance by Trevor Noah.
Following a bankruptcy earlier this year that forced the cancellation of Just for Laughs 2024, the fest’s future looked grim. However, comedy producer ComediHa! swooped in in June and purchased the Just for Laughs brand, including its archives.
Now ComediHa! is announcing its commitment to restaging the festival in its Montreal home, setting the next edition for July 2025.
But the group is also continuing Just for Laughs’ international presence, staging multiple festivals in other locations. A six-day Australian edition will kick off the brand’s return, beginning November 18 in Sydney. Headlining the Australia event will be former Daily Show host Noah, alongside Eric Idle, Brad Williams, and Melanie Bracewell.
Just for Laughs’ new owners will then take the festival to Bermuda (January 22-25, 2025) and Vancouver (February 13-22, 2025). That all leads up to the event’s return to Montreal, where it’s been held every July since its inception in 1983.
It’s all part of ComediHa!’s effort of “honoring the legacy of the festival and its profound impact on the world of comedy.” As the Montreal Gazette reports, that includes a vision to make Montreal’s next staging of Just for Laughs “one of the most memorable in the brand’s storied history.”
Just for Laughs had grown to become the one of the world’s biggest comedy festivals, putting countless stars on the map with its showcases. Over the years, its “New Faces” showcase has highlighted future late-night stars like Taylor Tomlinson, Pete Davidson, W. Kamau Bell, Colin Jost, Melissa Villaseñor, and Streeter Seidell.
Perhaps the festival’s return is a good opportunity for a John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in Montreal?
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