Comedy / belly laughs
Belly Laughs reflects on a record year in 2023
Now that the dust has settled, the core trio organising Belly Laughs – Bristol comedy royalty Mark Olver, and his team, Emma Phillimore and Alex Ryder – are reflecting on a bumper year for the event.
Expanding into new cities for the first time in its five year history in 2023, the multiple-gig fundraiser saw a record 117 gigs organised across Bristol, Bath and Birmingham during a 25-day period in January, with a last-minute addition in Exeter.
Raising over £33,000 for charities including Caring in Bristol, Fareshare SouthWest, Julian House in Bath, and SIFA Fireside in Birmingham, they also collected donations of sanitary products and warm clothing for the Bristol charity One25, who support local women in crisis.
is needed now More than ever
All the 100 participating comedians gave their time for free, and many performed at multiple gigs in a single night, dotting around numerous independent venues featured in this year’s Belly Laughs.
From chocolate shops to breweries, fine dining restaurants to tourist destinations, the businesses hosted pop-up shows in their unique and intimate spaces, bringing in valuable revenue at a traditionally difficult time of year, made harder in 2023 by the ongoing cost of living crisis.
On the basis of such success, plans are already afoot for 2024. “That was mad wasn’t it?” says Olver. “I’ve loved everything about this year’s Belly Laughs. We’ve had some amazing acts, new comedians I‘ve not seen before, and performed in some brilliant locations – including the bloody SS Great Britain! It doesn’t get better than that.
“I want to keep growing it, keep raising money and keep showcasing great comedy. Somehow, we’ll have to top this next year!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoxJ7Ojs-m8/
To keep in touch with all the latest news about Belly Laughs 2024, visit https://linktr.ee/bellylaughs or follow @bellylaughsjan on Insta.
All photos: Robert Willis
Read more: More gigs added to biggest Belly Laughs ever
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
