Independent venue Komedia, in the heart of Brighton, won multiple accolades at this year’s Chortle Awards which were held at the prestigious Comedy Store in London on Tues 17th March 2026.
The venue won ‘Best Comedy Venue (South)’ for a record-breaking 18th time, solidifying its status as one of the go-to places for live comedy in the UK and their weekly Komedia Comedy Club, which features top circuit acts every Friday and Saturday, scooped ‘Best Pro Comedy Night (South)’. Also, new resident fixture Boast in Show, a hilariously uplifting comedy showdown where comedians battle with compliments instead of insults, won ‘Best Comedy Format (South)’.
Other regional winners of the ‘Best Comedy Venue’ title include Big Belly Comedy Club and The Bill Murray (joint winners, London), Fairfield Social Club, Manchester (The North), The Gaffe, Bristol (The West and Wales) and Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh (Scotland).
General Manager Jamie Patterson says: “We’re so delighted with this year’s Chortle Awards. To have won Best Venue in the South again for the 18th time is such a fantastic reward for our team and all the hard work we put into being the best place to come out for a night with your friends, as well as the best place for all the acts who voted to perform their fantastic sets and touring shows. And to have won Best Pro Comedy Night in the South as well is such an honour – it’s great to know everyone agrees Komedia Comedy Club is the best live comedy experience with the best line-ups and atmosphere of any of the hundreds of competing events in the South, so we’re chuffed to bits!”
These wins marks the 23rd for the venue since the Chortle Awards began in 2002, including 18 wins for Best Venue/Best Comedy Venue as well as multiple awards for their various comedy events including feel-good, fast-paced night of fantastic new comedy Comic Boom Comedy Club (in Association with Jill Edwards Comedy Courses) and queer and alternative night Down the Hatch Comedy Club.
At a time when venues are closing across the country at an alarming rate, awards like these help to highlight the importance and impact of these spaces. In 2025 alone The Theatres Trust’s 2025 “at risk” register listed 43 theatres facing closure and according to the Music Venue Trust’s (MVT) annual report for 2025, 30 grassroots music venues closed permanently between July 2024 and July 2025.
Support your local independent venue by heading down to Komedia to enjoy one of over 700 events a year. Upcoming comedy highlights include shows from Susie McCabe, Thomas Green, Sergi Polo, Emma Doran, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Ashley Gavin, Joe Kent-Walters, Tom Stade, Ania Magliano, Michael Akadiri and many more. To find out what’s on and to book tickets, head to Komedia’s website here.
Find Komedia at 44-47 Gardner Street, Brighton.
