This January, Mark Olver, along with his team Emma Phillimore and Alex Ryder, pulled off the seemingly unimpossible. Alongside their day jobs, they put on the biggest Belly Laughs so far. 117 gigs in 25 days across four British cities.
This year, Belly Laughs expanded beyond Bristol for the first time in its five year history to stage gigs in both Birmingham and Bath plus a last minute addition in Exeter!
Mark Olver said: “Well, that was mad wasn’t it? I’ve loved everything about this year’s Belly Laughs. We’ve had some amazing acts, new comedians I’ve not seen before, and performed in some brilliant locations - including the bloody SS Great Britain! It doesn’t get better than that. But seriously, this thing just gets better and better and I want to keep growing it, keep raising money and keep showcasing great comedy. Somehow, we’ll have to top this next year!”
Belly Laughs raised over £33,000 for local charities including Julian House in Bath, SIFA Fireside in Birmingham and Caring in Bristol and FareShare SouthWest in Bristol.
They also collected sanitary products and warm clothing for One25 who support women coming out of crisis in Bristol.
As well as this, during a cost of living crisis which is seeing many businesses struggle with low footfall and rising energy bills and supply costs, they generated an estimated £100,000 into local hospitality venues across the three cities.
None of this would have been possible without the support of the fantastic teams at Caring in Bristol, SIFA Fireside, Julian House and Yuup or the incredible comedians who all gave their time for free.
Check the Visit Bristol and Visit Bath websites for updates on Belly Laughs' 2024 gigs.
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