Live Comedy Festival is back with big names

Antwerp’s mostly English-language Live Comedy Festival is back with an impressive range of international star stand-ups - and a handful of gigs in Brussels too.

Performances this year include the UK’s Jimmy Carr, American Reginald D Hunter, and Flanders’ own Jeroen Leenders – all of whom appeared in the first edition of the festival in late 2014.

This time they’re joined by popular British talent Bill Bailey, Nina Conti and Simon Brodkin, familiar to many from their appearances on TV programmes such as Live at the Apollo. Also on the line-up are rising star Dane Baptiste of London, who will share a few doubts, and Canadian Glenn Wool (pictured) with his brand new show, Creator, I Am But a Pawn.

After selling out at the last edition, Carr returns with his new show, Funny Business. Conti, a brilliant ventriloquist, appears with her trusty sidekick, the cynical monkey known as Monk, and a selection of audience members who literally don’t know what they will say next. (Don’t sit too near the front.)

If you’re a fan of local talent, don’t miss Lukas Lelie and Kamal Kharmach, the latter of whom gained a new legion of fans after his appearance last year on the hit TV quiz De slimste mens ter wereld (The Smartest Person in the World). They’re joined by special guest Steven Mahieu, the 2011 (and final) winner of Flanders’ pioneering stand-up competition, the Humorologieconcours.

The festival’s Survivor Pass gives access to all nine shows and guarantees the best seats in the house for every performance – but there are only 30 available. Most of the action takes place in Antwerp, but Hunter, Carr, and Conti will also appear in Brussels. Brodkin’s only show is in Brussels.

Live Comedy Festival, 29 April-5 June