Port Stanley Comedy Festival
Laugh. Connect. Give Back.
Welcome to the Port Stanley Comedy Festival — a celebration of comedy, creativity and community in beautiful Port Stanley, Ontario.
Hosted by Portside ART Institute through The Comedy House, the festival brings comedians, performers, audiences, volunteers and community members together for a shared experience built around one very important thing:
Laughter.
But the festival is about more than entertainment.
It is also an opportunity to support community programming, create opportunities for performers, and bring people together through the expressive arts.
Comedy for Community
The Port Stanley Comedy Festival grew from a simple idea:
What if we could use comedy to bring people together while supporting programs that matter to our community?
The festival provides opportunities to enjoy live comedy while helping raise funds for designated Portside programs and community initiatives.
Festival fundraising may support areas such as:
- Creative education
- Community-based learning
- Creative recreation
- Respite programming
- Mental health-related community initiatives
- The Counselling House’s designated community programs, where specifically identified
Each fundraising event will identify where proceeds are being directed.
The Comedy House
The Port Stanley Comedy Festival is part of The Comedy House, an expressive arts initiative of Portside ART Institute.
The Comedy House explores comedy as a form of:
- Creative expression
- Education
- Performance
- Storytelling
- Community connection
- Fundraising
Through The Comedy House, Portside can offer opportunities not only to watch comedy, but also to learn about comedy, develop performance skills and participate in the creative process.
What You Can Expect
Festival programming may include:
Live Comedy
Enjoy performances from comedians and performers from the local community and beyond.
Community Performances
Opportunities for emerging and experienced performers to share their work.
Comedy Workshops
Where offered, workshops may introduce participants to comedy writing, improv, storytelling, performance and developing comedic material.
Special Events
The festival may include themed comedy nights, community events, fundraising evenings and other creative experiences.
Community Connection
Most importantly, the festival provides a reason for people to come together, laugh and enjoy Port Stanley.
Comedy Training Opportunities
The Comedy House was originally envisioned not only as a source of fundraising, but also as a place where people could learn about comedy and develop their creative voice.
Future opportunities may include:
- Comedy writing workshops
- Improv
- Storytelling
- Stand-up development
- Performance skills
- Public speaking
- Creative confidence
- Community performance opportunities
You don’t have to want to become a professional comedian to participate.
Sometimes the best reason to try comedy is simply to have fun and discover what you can do.
Supporting Mental Health & Community Programming
Laughter does not replace mental health care, and the festival is not a clinical mental health program.
Instead, the festival provides a community fundraising and engagement opportunity that can help support designated programs and initiatives.
When a festival event is specifically supporting mental health programming or The Counselling House’s ACT Program, the event materials will identify that purpose clearly.
Your ticket can be part of something bigger:
An evening of laughter that helps support community programming.
Join Us
Whether you’re coming as an audience member, performer, volunteer, sponsor or community partner, there is a place for you at the Port Stanley Comedy Festival.
Come for the comedy.
Stay for the community.
Support a cause.
Leave with a smile.
Get Your Tickets
Festival dates, performers, locations, ticket information and special events will be posted here as they are announced.
Hosted by Portside ART Institute
The Port Stanley Comedy Festival is a community event hosted by Portside ART Institute through The Comedy House, an expressive arts initiative of Portside.
The Comedy House is not a separate business or independent organization.
Portside ART Institute
Laugh. Create. Connect. Give Back.
