How Southport Comedy Festival became one of the UK's top comedy events

Southport Comedy Festival begins this Friday (27th September 2024), hosting 17 nights of the best comedians in the UK including Jason Manfred, Ben Elton, Henning Wehn, Jo Caulfield and more.

Southport Comedy Festival used to take place at different venues across the town, including local theatres, restaurants and pubs.

After the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, festival directors Brendan Riley and Val Brady had the inspired idea to stage the event in a huge luxury marquee in Victoria Park in Southport, to ensure good ventilation and social distancing.

It was originally due to be a temporary measure. But the venue proved to be so popular that it has been hosted in a marquee ever since, becoming an iconic, and popular feature of the festival.

Elite Marquees, a business based in Southport and operating predominantly in the North West, provides the venue every year. The company is owned by Mark Dilley, who set it up 13 years ago.

The marquee for the comedy festival is 15 metres by 40 metres, it can hold up to 600 people and is improving every year.

The team at Elite started the set-up for this year’s Southport Comedy Festival on site at Victoria Park in Southport on Sunday morning and it is expected to be finished on Thursday, in time for the event to begin the following day.

This year, Mark says the ceiling is higher, providing a ‘night sky’ and ‘starlit’ ceiling.

He said:

“The festival is improving year on year in terms of numbers and bigger acts.

“It used to be spread across small venues in the town but as it grew and they sold more tickets, they needed a larger space.

“It’s a unique space, it’s not like going to a venue hall and they do look impressive.

“You also never know what’s going to happen with the weather in England. It’s planning for the worst, and hoping for the best. The marquees provide full coverage.”

As well as Elite Marquees, Mark owns Elite Bars, a mobile bar business which is also at the event. This year the bar space is set to be even bigger, with a separate marquee.

The Elite company, both the bar and marquees, have gone from ‘strength to strength’.

This year is Mark’s 20th year of working in the marquee industry.

He said:

“It’s flown by. I love my job.

“The best part about it is that me and the team are somewhere new every day. We predominantly do events in the North West but we are nationwide, so could be anywhere in the country.”

The team can host anything from weddings to concerts and corporate events and the marquees can hold six people to 60,000 – they adapt the finish of the marquee depending on the nature of the event.

This year the business has provided a venue for Reminisce Festival, Jamie Webster at Sefton Park, and Liverpool Pride among many others.

Mark said:

“Since setting up the business in 2013, it’s grown ever since.

“After Covid, we bounced back and it’s the same with the mobile bar.

“Elite Bars was set up in 2018 and that’s gone from strength to strength.”

Mark and the team have got to work on exciting events. They were at the Labour Conference, and served around 12,000 people over four days at The Reminisce Festival.

The business prides itself on its confidentiality too. They have hosted luxury, intimate and private parties for billionaires and high-profile customers across the country.

Mark said:

“I never thought that I’d be putting on events to this scale, we’ve come so far.

“We’ve got big numbers, big events and a big year.”.

Southport Comedy Festival in association with Halliwell Jones MINI returns this Friday for its 13^th year.

From 27^th September 2024 to 13^th October 2024 stars of the comedy world will descend on the lovely seaside town of Southport for 17 fun filled days of laughter.

The entire festival will be staged for a fourth year in a giant luxury heated and fully seated marquee courtesy of Elite Marquees in Victoria Park, home of the world-renowned Southport Flower Show. Thousands of comedy goers came along over the last three years to enjoy the festival in a marquee and the feedback has been so good that it is all happening again but this time it’s bigger and better than ever.

The star studded line-up includes undisputed godfather of modern stand-Up Ben Elton, TV superstar Jason Manford, German Comedy Ambassador Henning Wehn, American Comedy Legend Rich Hall, Festival favourites Jason Byrne, Jimeoin, Godfather of Political Comedy Mark Thomas, Star of ITV’S The Chase Paul Sinha ‘The Sinnerman’, comedy stars of TV Jo Caulfield, Hal Cruttenden, Ria Lina, Patrick Monahan, Comedy Circuit favourites The Raymond and Mr Timpkins Review, Rising local star Katie Tracey, host of smash hit podcast ‘Have a Word’ Dan Nightingale and one of the UK’s most treasured entertainers Mick Miller.

Four shows have already sold out and others are selling fast so make sure to grab your tickets for the shows you want to see while they are still available!