Just For Laughs Announces ‘JFL Africa’ Coming in 2018

For 35 years, Montreal’s Just For Laughs comedy festival has been bringing high-quality comedy to the masses. Now more than ever, the festival (along with its sister-events JFL42, JFL NorthWest and JFL Sydney) have been enjoying unprecedented success, with the original JFL undisputedly holding the title of the world’s biggest and brightest comedy festival. Now, the Just For Laughs Group is looking to further expand their reach, as they have just announced that Just For Laughs is coming to Africa.

The goal of the new festival will be to not only bring big international acts to a place they might not otherwise get to very often, but to also help provide exposure and development opportunities for both local and continental acts. The first annual event will take place in Durban, South Africa in 2018. South Africa’s comedy scene has blown up in the past few years, with Johannesburg and Cape Town seeing a handful of comedy-dedicated venues pop up, so the decision was a no-brainer for the folks at JFL.

“We have already established successful Just For Laughs festivals beyond Montreal including Toronto (JFL42), Vancouver (JFL NorthWest) and Sydney (JFL Sydney) and couldn’t be more excited by this new venture in South Africa”, said Gilbert Rozon, President and Founder of the Just For Laughs Group during his announcement at JFL in Montreal.

“The opportunity to bring the experience of the Just For Laughs team to developing African comedy was one we just couldn’t turn down,” added Just For Laughs Africa Director Moyikwa Sisulu. “Their experience in developing local comics, showcasing global superstars and generating amazing content for distribution across multiple channels is second-to-none and we can’t wait to grow the continental comedy scene with them”.

For more information on this budding new festival, be sure to keep an eye on the festival’s website and its Twitter and Instagram pages.

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Bill Tressler

Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.
Bill Tressler
Bill Tressler
Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.