After a three-year break, Aberdeen Comedy Festival returns with a compact but mighty line-up. Here are five shows we’d book first.
The Granite City is getting its laugh-back. After a three-year hiatus—when the local comedy calendar went unusually quiet—Aberdeen Comedy Festival returns from 22 September to 5 October 2025, staged by Aberdeen Performing Arts with the backing of Aberdeen Inspired, who first launched the festival in 2016.
The gap, hopefully, has only sharpened appetite. What began as a city-centre week of gigs quickly grew into the northeast’s biggest comedy showcase before pausing in 2022. Now, with fresh energy and major names on the bill, Aberdeen has a festival that once again brings national talent to the far north (well it’s far from Edinburgh!).
Over a packed fortnight, acts play across His Majesty’s Theatre, the Music Hall, the Lemon Tree, Breakneck Comedy Club, and the Tivoli. From established stars to Fringe discoveries, this well curated programme is stacked. To help you cut through the noise, here are five Insider Picks—chosen because we’ve reviewed them before, or because their presence speaks for itself.
Kieran Hodgson — Voice of America (Lemon Tree, Sat 27 Sep)
Kieran Hodgson has a rare knack for folding history, politics, and pop culture into a story that feels like you’ve just sat down for a pint with him. His new show Voice of America tackles the quirks of US culture and what they reveal about Britain, all with his usual precision and charm.
At this year’s Fringe I described it as “an engrossing and incredibly funny hour of highly accomplished comedy … affectionate and satirical at once.” Hodgson’s reputation is for comedy that teaches you something without ever feeling heavy — and he delivers on that again here. If you want a smart hour that still keeps the laughs flowing, this is the one.
Elf Lyons — Horses (Lemon Tree, Fri 26 Sep)
Elf Lyons doesn’t do ordinary stand-up. Horses is a surreal tumble through clowning, theatre, and comedy, built around the idea of horses but galloping quickly into stranger, funnier places.
When Annie Quinn reviewed it, she called it “a mesmerising blend of clowning, mime, comedy, and theatre” and “a must-see performance, blending humour with unexpected heartfelt moments.” That mix is what makes Lyons a thrilling festival pick — unpredictable, hilarious, and surprisingly moving. If you’re looking to see comedy that pushes at the boundaries of form, Horses will stick in your memory.
Ignacio Lopez — Nada! and Juan Solo (Lemon Tree, Sun 28 Sep)
Ignacio Lopez arrives in Aberdeen with two very different hours. Nada! is his brand-new solo show, following on from Señor Self-Destruct, which I praised for being “a smartly constructed hour that balances precision-crafted stand-up with flashes of cleverly handled chaos.” Lopez has a way of pulling apart himself and his material in the same breath, and Nada! looks set to dig into that territory again — funny, self-aware, and sharper than ever.
He’s also bringing Juan Solo, his acclaimed family show. It’s an interactive romp designed for younger audiences, but it carries the same polish and comic control as his stand-up. Lopez knows how to work a room — whether it’s a theatre full of grown-ups or a gang of excitable kids — and offering both sides of his comedy in one festival underlines his range.
Stewart Lee — Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf (His Majesty’s Theatre, Sun 28 Sep)
No festival line-up feels complete without a heavyweight, and Stewart Lee is exactly that. Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf finds him dissecting cultural anxieties through the lens of a mythical monster, but the subject is really just a scaffold for his trademark style: slow builds, unexpected turns, and jokes that double as cultural criticism.
Lee isn’t for everyone — he’s not trying to be — but he remains one of the most original voices in British stand-up. For Aberdeen, securing him at His Majesty’s Theatre is a coup, and for audiences it’s a chance to see a comic who has influenced an entire generation of others.
Chris McCausland — Yonks! (Music Hall, Mon 22–Thu 25 Sep)
Chris McCausland opens the festival at the Music Hall, and there’s a good reason tickets have been snapped up fast. Yonks! is a show about memory, stories, and the way life accumulates in small, funny details — all told with the warmth and sharp timing that have made him one of the country’s most loved comedians.
He’s often described as an “overnight success,” though anyone who’s followed the circuit knows he’s been honing his craft for years. Now he’s a household name, and his mix of dry wit and natural storytelling makes him the perfect act to set the tone for the festival.
A compact, mighty festival
Aberdeen Comedy Festival may be compact, but it punches well above its weight. Whether you go for the cerebral puzzles of Stewart Lee, the warmth of McCausland, the surreal invention of Elf Lyons, or the sharp wit of Hodgson and Lopez, take our advice—you can’t go far wrong.
Tickets are already moving fast, and it’s worth booking quickly if you want to secure the best seats.
On a personal note: I spent three years of my life studying in Aberdeen and would have loved something like this back then. To see the Granite City backing a comedy festival of this scale is a real pleasure.
Go forth, and laugh!
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