Following the success of the inaugural event last year, the Octagon has announced the return of Bolton Comedy Festival for 2025, bringing some of the biggest names in comedy to Bolton this summer.

The 2025 line-up includes headline shows by Daniel Sloss, Russell Kane, Dom Joly, Jenny Ryan, Lucy Porter and Tape Face, all performing in the Octagon’s main house.

The full line-up will also include events with Phil Chapman, Ryan Cullen, Sooz Kempner, Emmanuel Sonubi, and Dan Tiernan,

The packed programme promises a great opportunity for comedy fans to get up close and personal with some of the UK’s finest comedy talent from Sunday 6 – Sunday 13 July 2025.

Artistic Director Lotte Wakeham commented: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be bringing Bolton Comedy Festival back for its second year. After such a fantastic response to last year’s festival, with brilliant comedians and amazing audiences, it’s wonderful to see the festival growing and attracting such a brilliant line-up of talent. Comedy is such a powerful way to bring people together, and we’re proud to be hosting some of the UK’s finest comedic voices right here in Bolton. We can’t wait to welcome audiences for another week of laughter at the Octagon.”

The opening night headliner will be internationally acclaimed and award-winning Scottish comedian and actor, Daniel Sloss on Sunday 8 July. To date, Daniel has created 13 solo shows, was the biggest ticket selling comedian in the world for most of 2021, has performed eight New York seasons off-Broadway, appeared on U.S. TV’s ‘Conan’ ten times, broken box office records at the world’s biggest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. His two hour-long specials, for Netflix, ‘Daniel Sloss – Live Shows’ DARK and Jigsaw, were released in 2018, streaming in 190 countries and 26 languages.

Multi-award-winning comedian, presenter, actor, author and scriptwriter Russell Kane will bring a headline performance on Tuesday 8 July. Russell is a regular on Channel 4, BBC, and ITV with recent TV appearances include The Apprentice: You’re Fired, The One Show, Live at the Apollo, The Stand-Up Sketch Show, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, Antiques Road Trip, Stupid Man, Smart Phone, as well as regular appearances on Steph’s Packed Lunch.

This will be followed by multi-award-winning comedian and writer Dom Joly on Wednesday 9 July. Dom’s smash hit hidden camera series Trigger Happy TV re-defined the genre and was a primetime international smash- selling to over 80 countries around the world and had a spin-off series on Comedy Central USA. He has also made World Shut Your Mouth for BBC1 and two series of This is Dom Joly for BBC3 as well as two series of Fool Britannia– a prime-time Saturday night comedy show for ITV1. He is a regular on TV panel and game shows including Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI, Celebrity Game Night and Who Wants To be A Millionaire.

Headlining on Friday 11 July is Lucy Porter. Lucy is a huge hit with comedy audiences up and down the country as well as internationally acclaimed with her stand-up. She is a regular on the festival circuit as well as tv, radio and quiz shows. She has also appeared on IQ, two Mock the Week, Have I Got News for You, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and What the Dickens?. On Radio 4, she has been heard on Life – An Idiot’s Guide, Heresy, The Personality Test, The News Quiz, Dilemma and The Unbelievable Truth, and is a regular guest on BBC 6Music on The Radcliffe & Maconie Show.

On Saturday 12 July, Bolton’s own Jenny Ryan – best known as the The Vixen on the hit ITV quiz The Chase – will be making an appearance alongside Lucy Porter with a live podcast recording of their popular podcast Fingers on Buzzers – perfect for any quiz show fans or pub quiz fanatics.

Closing the festival, the silent comedy sensation Tape Face (Sam Wills) also features in this year’s line-up on Sunday 20 July. Known for his unique, wordless humour, Tape Face blends physical comedy with audience interaction, creating a fun and unpredictable experience for everyone. His act has garnered international acclaim, including his memorable appearance on America's Got Talent in 2016. Audiences can expect a hilarious and truly distinctive performance.

The Bolton Comedy Festival promises to be a must-see event for comedy fans this summer, with an exciting range of performances that span across a variety of comedic styles.