Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival relaunched this summer with a scaled-down program featuring shows by Dane Cook, Bassem Youssef and Bobby Slayton.
ComédiHa! president and CEO Sylvain Parent-Bédard says it’s a “miracle” that the company is able to announce programming for July just weeks after acquiring a number of assets from the Just For Laughs Group.
Just For Laughs cancelled its Montreal and Toronto festivals earlier this year and filed for creditor protection, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and changes in the entertainment industry as reasons for its financial difficulties.
Parent-Bédard’s ComediHa! announced earlier this month that a judge had approved its offer to acquire the Juste pour rire, Just For Laughs, Zoofest, ComedyPro and Gags brands, as well as the audiovisual catalogue.
Parent-Bédard says the English-language portion of the festival will be smaller than in previous years, but he said it’s important for the company to send a signal to fans and the industry that the event isn’t dead.
The 2024 edition of the festival will run from July 18 to 28 and will feature a free outdoor performance by Dane Cook, around 15 shows in various venues, and a closing show yet to be announced.
On the francophone side, the “ComediHa! salue Montréal” event also runs from July 18 to 28, featuring comedians Korine Côté, Billy Tellier and Arnaud Soly.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 26, 2024.