A brand-new festival dedicated to the art of sketch comedy will arrive in London this March as SketchFest 2026 brings together performers from across the UK for two weeks of original live work.
SketchFest is a new collaboration between two of the capital’s best loved fringe venues, Canal Café Theatre in Little Venice and Hen and Chickens Theatre in Islington. Across the festival audiences will be able to see a wide range of sketch shows from emerging and established comedy performers, with each act presenting an original hour of live material.
The festival will feature performances from a diverse lineup of sketch groups and double acts including Biscuit Barrel, Finlay and Joe, Chaos Theory, The Supermalts, Forced Rhubarb, Next Level Sketch, Canker Blossoms, Frog Bone Trom Bone and The Tiny Umbrellas, alongside appearances from performers such as Justin Edwards and Dan Tetsell.
All shows in the programme will run between fifty and sixty minutes and showcase entirely original material created by the performers.
The festival opens with a special launch event at Hen and Chickens Theatre on Monday 16 March, welcoming artists, industry guests and audiences for an evening of sketches and conversation before the programme begins in full.
Throughout the festival the competing acts will be assessed during their performances by programming teams from both venues. At Canal Café Theatre the heats will be judged by Artistic Director Emma Taylor and Head Programmer and Festival Producer Cicely Halkes Wellstead, while at Hen and Chickens Theatre the judging panel will include Artistic Director James Wren and members of The Pros from Dover. Acts will be scored on five key criteria including writing, performance quality, originality, audience response and overall award worthiness.
The festival will also welcome special guest judge Kevin Eldon (Brass Eye, I Am Alan Partridge, Inside No.9), who will join the judging panel for the SketchFest 2026 Grand Finale.
The festival culminates in the SketchFest 2026 Grand Finale at Canal Café Theatre on Sunday 29 March, where the three strongest acts from the heats will present final 20 minute performances before the judging panel and guest judge Kevin Eldon.
Following the performances the judging panel will decide the winners of several awards including SketchFest 2026 Sketch Act of the Year, The Canal Café Theatre Choice Award, The Hen and Chickens Theatre Choice Award, Best Individual Sketch, and Best Character.
The overall winner and venue award recipients will receive trophies, a £100 cash prize for the overall winner and mentorship support, while all finalists will be invited to celebrate with performers and guests following the awards ceremony.
SketchFest also celebrates the history and influence of its host venues. Canal Café Theatre has been home to NewsRevue, the world’s longest running live comedy show, since 1984 and has helped launch the careers of performers including Catherine Tate, Lee Mack and Eddie Izzard. Hen and Chickens Theatre has long been a creative incubator for new comedy and theatre, supporting early performances from artists including The Mighty Boosh, Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle and Sarah Millican.
By bringing together these two venues and their shared commitment to new work, SketchFest aims to spotlight the creativity and energy of contemporary sketch comedy while providing a platform for the next generation of performers.
