A brand-new festival dedicated to the art of sketch comedy arrives in London this March as SketchFest 2026 brings together performers from across the UK for two weeks of original live performances.
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 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. Take a peek on what’s on offer:
After JT’s unexpected departure, NSYNC faces challenges in their new stage production, SYNCING, filled with comedy and drama. Friends Lauren Bray, Emily Minetti, and Jasmine Jayamanne from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama are involved, with actor Tessa Redman playing Joey.
Tuesday 17 March: Hen and Chickens Theatre
Monday 23 March: Canal Café Theatre
For their debut hour, Next Level Sketch showcases a collection of their funniest sketches from the past six years, having formed from the improvisers of Hoopla Impro and performing at The Miller in London Bridge.
Tuesday 17 March, 9pm – Canal Café Theatre
Saturday 21 March, 7pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
99 Red Balloons in a Trench Coat is a sketch comedy show by Cambridge Footlights’ Baz Evans and Alex Denley Spencer, showcasing energetic sketches on quirky topics. It is the third production from Off The Mango, an alternative comedy initiative led by Denley Spencer.
Tuesday 17 March, 7pm – Canal Café Theatre
Tuesday 24 March, 7pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
Will & Noah invite you to a sketch show set in the world’s furthest-reaching awards ceremony. It’s a night to celebrate life’s winners, including but not limited to: best original song, U13s player of the season, product of the year, soup of the day, oldest man, funniest in the office, Sunday Best, Monday Worst and longest time survived in a lion cage (spoiler: it’s the lion). Will BF and Noah Geelan are a London based sketch double act specialising in sketch, narrative and musical comedy.
Friday 20 March, 7pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
Saturday 21 March, 7pm – Canal Café Theatre
A performer group called Chaos Theory, consisting of Maria Beadell, Marigold Lately, Yasser Kayani, and Bruce Williams, along with director Stephen Dinsdale, presents a variety of quickfire sketches that range from light to dark and absurd to surreal, drawing on their diverse experiences in acting, collaboration with notable figures, television appearances, Olympic representation, and media writing while performing on a unicycle.
Wednesday 18 March, 7pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
Wednesday 25 March, 7pm – Canal Café Theatre
From the creators of the acclaimed immersive comedies Burning Down the Horse and It’s Gonna Blow!, comes THE PAST – the first immersive historical sketch show. In this unique experience, three performers explore lesser-known stories behind iconic historical moments, from Abel and Cain to the origin of The Muppets, blending elements of Horrible Histories and Monty Python without an educational agenda. Fishing4Chips, founded in 2022, has delivered over 90 performances to more than 9,500 audience members in the UK and is now venturing into sketch comedy, ambitiously summarizing history in just 50 minutes.
Thursday 19 March, 9pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
Thursday 26 March, 9.30pm – Canal Café Theatre
Forced Rhubarb is a sketch comedy collective from the Cambridge scene, featuring writers Bryan Ghosh and Micky Gibbons, along with London actors Emily Carmichael and David Miller. They have recorded sketches for a podcast and participated in the SketchOff competition, reaching the quarter-finals on February 22nd. SketchFest will mark their first full show performance together.
Thursday 19 March, 7pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
Tuesday 24 March, 7pm – Canal Café Theatre
Two Old Men: Justin and Dan return to their roots with a new sketch show, performing for a small audience above a pub, despite their extensive experience in various media.
Friday 20 March, 7pm – Canal Café Theatre
Friday 27 March, 7pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
The Tiny Umbrellas is a new comedy group offering entertaining sketches, including a wildlife prank show and a lasagna naming contest. Their feel-good show features young comedians Eliza Copland, Chess Nightingale, Adam Pickard, Jan Maciejewski, Kian Mogaddas, Alex McGovern, and Flora Symington, guaranteeing laughter and good vibes.
Sunday 22 March, 7pm – Canal Café Theatre
Thursday 26 March, 7pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
This new sketch show, Frogbone Trombone, combines beloved elements from BSNL with innovative material, featuring political satire, musical parodies, and edgy scenes. The group consists of university friends who started performing through Birmingham Saturday Night Live.
Monday 23 March, 7pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
Tuesday 24 March, 9pm – Canal Café Theatre
Finlay & Joe are thriving, with a promising future in sketch comedy that is increasingly profitable. They present a new hour of humorous sketches, featuring finalists Finlay Stroud and Joe Peden, a creative duo from London and Manchester. Influenced by Aunty Donna, Mitchell and Webb, and Victoria Wood, they deliver a whirlwind of surreal comedy for their audience.
Tuesday 24 March, 9pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
Wednesday 25 March, 9pm – Canal Café Theatre
The Four Cankers, featuring comedy writer Michael Hall and performers Hayley Everitt, Tommy Murray, Sam Murphy, and Jonathan Hansler, present original sketches filled with chaos and humor, having showcased their talent in various renowned festivals and theatres worldwide, including the Edinburgh Fringe and Leicester Square Theatre’s Sketch Off.
Thursday 19 March, 9.30pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
Thursday 26 March, 9pm – Canal Café Theatre
Biscuit Barrel are a quick-fire sketch group, who this year will be embarking on their seventh full run of Edinburgh Fringe (2018-Present). Started in Winchester, the group have gone on to participate in Brighton Fringe (2019-Present, nominated ‘Spirit of the Fringe Award’), Leicester Comedy Festival, and last year even Hollywood Fringe.
Friday 27 March, 7pm – Canal Café Theatre
Saturday 28 March, 7pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
In this comedic scenario, Sam navigates a two-man show alone when his partner Gaz is stuck in traffic. As a performer and comedian known for his work with the award-winning group Bad Clowns, Sam employs phone calls, half sketches, and audience participation to keep the show going while awaiting Gaz’s arrival.
Wednesday 25 March, 9pm – Hen and Chickens Theatre
Saturday 28 March, 7pm – Canal Café Theatre
Sunday 29 March, 6pm – SketchFest 2026 Grand Finale (Canal Café Theatre) The three strongest acts from the festival will compete in the SketchFest Grand Finale before the judging panel including special guest Kevin Eldon.
Visit our events and activities area for more ideas of things to do with kids in London this season. or have a look at our theatre and dance page to see our selection of family friendly shows.