Brighton is a city full of creative spirit; a spirit that is channelled through many of its eclectic independent venues. Nestled in the beating heart of the city’s teeming North Laine district, Komedia Brighton, has, over the years since its inception in 1994, forged a name for itself as the town’s foremost destination for all things live comedy.
Read more: Brighton Fringe Festival 2025: A Guide To The Best In Live Comedy
However, Komedia Brighton isn’t just a venue for catching the biggest emerging names in comedy. The venue is a versatile, multi-storied entertainment edifice, where everything from left-field club nights, cabaret, workshops and the very best of independent cinema are celebrated day in, day out.
Here’s our guide to Komedia Brighton and all the entertainment gold it has to offer.
Comedy at Komedia Brighton
Where better to start this comprehensive guide to Brighton Komedia than with its flagship offering – standup comedy. The venue is tailor-made for hosting the best, emerging names in comedy with its ever-popular standup night ‘Komedia Comedy Club’ consistently drawing sell-out crowds every Friday and Saturday night.
With its dedicated, intimate setting, Komedia’s studio room is perfect for hosting comedy, allowing comedians to get up close and personal with their audience, often picking on unsuspecting punters in the front rows as part of their sets.
Since first establishing its name as a comedy venue on Manchester Street before moving to its current central location on Gardner Street, Komedia has proudly hosted some of the biggest faces in comedy before they were household names. Graham Norton, Sean Lock, Mel and Sue, to name just a few, have all performed at Komedia before going on to superstardom.
Komedia prides itself on the diversity of its lineups, especially at their comedy club. To find out more about who’s performing and where to get tickets to comedy shows, check out the venue’s website for more information.
Tickets: https://www.komedia.co.uk/shows/komedia-comedy-club/
Duke’s At Komedia
Photo credit: Picturehouse Cinemas
Komedia is not only a venue that champions live comedy. Cinema enthusiasts can catch all the very best in contemporary cinema at Brighton’s famous Duke of Yorks’s sister Picturehouse situated on the second floor of Brighton Komedia.
With two screens and a popular bar, Duke’s At Komedia has become a staple venue for cinemagoers to enjoy both blockbuster hits and arthouse gems. The Duke’s At Komedia has established itself as not only a sought-after venue in the beating heart of Brighton, but countywide. The cinema is one of the hosts of the prestigious CineCity Film Festival, where it has hosted national and international premieres.
For all the latest information and tickets for the films and events taking places at Brighton’s Duke’s At Komedia, visit the website through the link below.
Tickets: https://www.picturehouses.com/cinema/duke-s-at-komedia?filter=
Live Music At Komedia Brighton
Photo credit: Brighton Komedia
Komedia may not look that imposing from the outside, but walk through the foyer and down several flights of staircases and you’ll reach both its cavernous basement venue and a smaller more intimate studio setting hosting some of the best names in live music and entertainment.
With its smaller capacity setting, Komedia’s two stages are the perfect environments for showcasing leading lights in folk music. However, folk isn’t the only genre that Komedia specialises in booking. Many experimental and indie rock outfits have graced Komedia’s stages over the years and with many more bookings on the horizon, experiencing live music continues to grow and grow within this bourgeoning venue.
For more information on live music events and for booking tickets, follow the link below.
Tickets: https://www.komedia.co.uk/whats-on/music/
Club Nights At Komedia
Photo credit: Komedia Brighton
Komedia Brighton isn’t just a venue for enjoying the finer arts. With its enviable position in central Brighton, the venue has grown a formidable reputation over the past few years for its extravagant, themed club nights. Whether it’s era, genre, or hairstyle, no theme, however farfetched, is safe from being celebrated in Komedia’s spacious basement venue.
One of the many upsides to Komedia’s club nights is the lateness of entry. Club nights invariably begin at 11pm and continue on until the early hours of the morning, sometimes calling time as late as 4am. This means that Komedia is consistently the last stop for any great night out in Brighton, giving revellers a fantastic central late night alternative to the seafront clubs.
For more information about Komedia’s eccentric club nights and how to book tickets, visit the website through the link below.
Tickets: https://www.komedia.co.uk/whats-on/club/
Entertainment At Komedia
Photo credit: Komedia Brighton
In addition to live standup comedy, music and cinema, Komedia boasts a fantastically varied roster of entertainment events. Its spacious venue rooms host a variety of events from Cabaret and Drag to Kids Shows and spoken word poetry.
Brighton Komedia has always championed the very best in alternative entertainment and prides itself on discovering local talent, giving them the platform on which to flourish in front of packed audiences. Venues as independently spirited as Komedia are sadly struggling nowadays, in near-constant competition with commerically-backed enterprises and rely heavily on the support of a loyal and creatively-minded community. Luckily, Brighton is one of the most supportive communities out there and, as such, independent venues such as Komedia continue to thrive in a competitive landscape.
History of Komedia
Photo credit: Komedia Brighton
Komedia is a venue that has changed drastically over the years. It was created by Colin Granger, Marina Kobler, and David Lavender—directors of ‘Umbrella Theatre’. Inspired by cabaret-style venues they visited while touring cities like Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Berlin, they envisioned a similar space back home. The name “Komedia” was discovered by Lavender in an international theatre magazine; it appealed to the team because it blended ideas of “comedy” and “media” and suggested boundary-pushing creativity.
In the early 1990s, Komedia was a trailblazer in this type of venue. Its debut season featured many now-famous performers early in their careers, such as Graham Norton, Al Murray, Mel and Sue, Sean Lock, Armstrong & Miller, The League of Gentlemen, and Omid Djalili.
The venue eventually outgrew its original location on Manchester Street and with increased popularity, it moved to a converted Tesco Supermarket in the Jubilee Shopping Hall, where the ‘Krater Comedy Club’ was formed.
With a larger venue came larger shows, with the biggest names in rock and pop playing many of their first shows at Komedia.
The company has gone from strength to strength in recent years at its current location on Gardner Street, weathering the difficult challenges posed by the pandemic in 2020, and going on to opening another venue in Bath.
Komedia is an example of how community and creative spirit channelled through determination and enthusiasm can create a lasting venue for all.
Address: 44-47 Gardner St, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN1 1UN
Website: https://www.komedia.co.uk/
