Two years ago, this festival didn't happen at all. The 2024 edition was cancelled outright as the company behind Just For Laughs collapsed into bankruptcy, and for a few months it was fair to wonder whether the world's largest comedy festival had told its last joke.
Then Quebec City's ComediHa group bought the assets, staged a scaled-down comeback in 2025, and now, for its 44th edition, JFL is back at full volume: 250 shows across 25 downtown venues, hundreds of free outdoor performances, and more than 800 artists working in both official languages. Even Victor, the red-horned mascot, is back on the posters.
The festival runs July 15 to 26, 2026 in and around the Quartier des Spectacles, with the outdoor site at Place des Festivals open daily from 4 p.m. The big swing this year is what the festival is calling the world's largest comedy cabaret: Place des Festivals reimagined as an open-air venue with a DJ warming things up at 7 p.m. and a free headline show at 9, running the gamut from SNL cast members to the most decorated accordion player in pop history (we’ll get to that).
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