Along with much laughter, Galway Comedy Festival 2025 is set to provide a major economic boost to the city with a multi-million euro boost. In a world desperately in need of a laugh, funny business can also be serious business.
Now a regular fixture on Ireland’s event calendar, this year’s Galway Comedy Festival is set to add millions to the local economy – something sure to put a happy smile on the faces of the city’s hoteliers, restaurateurs, bar owners, businesspeople and taxi drivers.
From its modest inception 20 years ago, this event has grown and grown. Now, more than 15,000 comedy fans are expected to attend #GCF25, which kicked off on Tuesday and runs through the Bank Holiday weekend.
The festival features a 70-strong line-up of homegrown and international stars – including Rhod Gilbert, Dylan Moran, Deirdre O’Kane, Paul Smith, Jack Dee, Omid Djalili, Rich Hall, Emma Doran, Phill Jupitus, Chris McCausland, Rachel Galvo, Aoife Dunne and David McSavage – who will be delighting audiences with 69 shows across 16 city venues (including Palas Cinema, which has been specially repurposed for this year’s Festival ).
At a time of year traditionally regarded as the “shoulder season” of the tourist industry, the influx of thousands of comedy enthusiasts will provide an estimated €7.5 million boost to the local economy. Perhaps the industry should now rename October the “silly season” – in Galway at least.
“Festivals and events such as ours are essentially the lifeblood of Galway’s tourist industry,” says GCF director Kevin Healy. “We look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to our fabulous city this week, who’ll spread their custom out across all of our venues and the surrounding bars and restaurants. There really is nothing like the buzz of Comedy Festival week.”
The Festival enjoys a loyal local following, as well as investments from Galway City Council, Failte Ireland, VFI Galway and Bulmer’s Cider. While Healy is massively appreciative of the local support, he explains that the majority of their tickets are now sold to people from outside the county.
“Our analysis shows that almost 80% of our audiences come from outside Galway,” he says. “Last year, 20% of our audience was local. Beyond that, almost half of the festival-goers came from Leinster; 10% came from Munster, and another 10% came from Galway’s surrounding counties. The remaining 10% came from the UK and other European countries, which was quite humbling to see.
“Our Festival in the west of Ireland is now widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading comedy events” he concluded.
Tickets on sale now from GalwayComedyFestival.ie or at the Festival Box Office at Pálás: Tue – Fri from 3pm, Sat & Sun from noon.
