Comedy
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Step Inside: Comedy Carnival
Everything you need to know about one of London's most acclaimed comedy brands
What do you get when you cross a background in marketing and event production with a passion for standup comedy? You get Pete Gionis, the brains behind Comedy Carnival. Originally from Melbourne, since trading Australian sunshine for London drizzle Gionis has consistently curated award-winning comedy nights and booked both rising and established stars – all while continuing to host and perform his own sets. But while he’s now best known for Comedy Carnival (and rightly so, the brand has been earning top plaudits, including TripAdvisor’s coveted Certificate of Excellence, for more than two decades), Gionis’ story actually begins with another venue, one which cemented its place in comedy history long ago: The Comedy Tree.
From Putney to Covent Garden
Gionis founded The Comedy Tree in Putney in 2002, and it quickly became the spiritual heart of West London’s blossoming comedy scene, with the likes of Lee Mack and Micky Flanagan delivering sets from its stage while still early in their careers. The Comedy Tree also served as a proving ground for a then-unknown Putney local by the name of Jack Whitehall, who cut his teeth at the club and continued to make surprise appearances even after becoming a beloved staple of British TV.
Throughout his time running The Comedy Tree, Gionis placed strong emphasis on nurturing new talent, introducing a progression system for developing acts: 10 to 15-minute sets on Thursdays, advancing to 20-minute spots later in the week, and eventually full weekend slots. Although The Comedy Tree closed its doors in 2016, this system, which has helped many aspiring comedians flourish, continues to live on at Comedy Carnival.
London clubs, global line-ups
Gionis launched Comedy Carnival in 2004, with the goal of spotlighting the very best of antipodean comedy. However, while the Southern Hemisphere has produced some of the funniest people alive, due to the fact that most of them live quite literally on the other side of the world Gionis found that he was booking the same comedians night after night. So, in 2005, shortly after hosting Flight of the Concords, Gionis made the decision to expand the roster, opening the doors both to international comics like Reginald D. Hunter as well as homegrown talent like Stephen Merchant.
In 2007, with momentum and demand continuing to snowball, the night went weekly, and the following year Gionis partnered with Susana Sola to launch Comedy Carnival Leicester Square (until then events had been held exclusively in the Clapham Grand). Headliners from around that time included some of the biggest names in British comedy, including Michael McIntyre, Rhod Gilbert, and Kevin Bridges. By 2012 the brand was fully based in the West End, having established Comedy Carnival Covent Garden and left the Grand behind.
Today, Comedy Carnival is more successful than ever, producing nights in multiple London comedy clubs and booking the kinds of stars you’re used to seeing on Netflix (Gionis’ personal fondness for unapologetically unfiltered comedians like Dave Chappelle, Adrienne Iapalucci and Anthony Jeselnik continues to shape the brand’s artistic direction).
Although Comedy Carnival’s runaway success grants the kind of A-lister access most producers can only dream of, Gionis has remained faithful to his original goal: highlighting comedians from far and wide. To this end, Comedy Carnival continues to produce foreign-language comedy shows, regularly bringing Spanish and Greek comics to the English capital for sold-out events. These shows mark something of a full-circle moment for Gionis and Sola, who have Greek and Spanish heritage respectively, given that they’re held at the Clapham Grand – the birthplace of the Comedy Carnival brand.
Cabaret Carnival: London’s premiere cabaret brand
Not content with building one of London’s best-loved comedy brands, Gionis has also branched out into cabaret, burlesque and circus performance, all showcased at the wildly popular Cabaret Carnival nights. These nights, which treat punters to thrills of both high-octane and risqué varieties, regularly feature international stars including Vicky Butterfly, Dusty Limits, Claire de Lunacy, Ashley Stroud, Mat Ricardo, Cazeleon, Enrico Touche, Kate Butch, and Marcel Lucont (Alexis Dubus), who also co-produces the events. While Gionis handles branding, design and social media for Cabaret Carnival, the brand’s artistic direction is jointly shaped by Madalina Pirvan, who also handles technical production – a role that’s vital to the smooth-running of shows which frequently involve potentially dangerous stunts.
At a time when London cabaret clubs are shutting down at an alarming rate, Cabaret Carnival is helping to ensure the art form – as well as the vibrant community of fire-breathers, contortionists, acrobats and drag stars it fosters – continues to have a place to call home.
Show & Dinner Packages
In recent years, Comedy Carnival’s show and dinner packages have proved hugely popular. These packages, which start at just £36 per person and include both the meal and reserved seating at the club, let customers choose from a range of nearby restaurants. Current options include Pizza Express, Flesh & Buns, Monmouth Kitchen and Côte, all within walking distance of the club. Diners arrive at the restaurant at 5:30, giving them two hours to enjoy their meal and walk over in time for the show. Once inside the venue, customers can purchase drinks, including a variety of cocktails, from the in-house bar.
Getting to Comedy Carnival
Comedy Carnival currently holds shows in Leicester Square and Covent Garden. Public transport offers the cheapest, easiest way to get to these shows.
Comedy Carnival (Leicester Square) is located on Shaftesbury Avenue, just a two-minute walk from Leicester Square tube station. Take the Northern or Piccadilly Line to Leicester Square, then head east along Cranbourn Street before turning onto Shaftesbury Avenue. Piccadilly Circus and Charing Cross stations are also within walking distance, around ten minutes away. Several bus routes stop nearby, including the 3, 6, 12, 14, 19, 24, 29, 38, 139 and 176.
Comedy Carnival (Covent Garden) is a three-minute walk from Covent Garden tube station, which is served by the Piccadilly Line. Anyone wishing to avoid the tube should travel to Charing Cross, although the walk is slightly longer (approximately eight minutes). Numerous bus lines circle Covent Garden’s perimeter, and stops at both Long Acre and Strand are a few minutes walk from the venue.
It’s also possible to reach both venues by taxi, although prices are likely to fluctuate. Driving isn’t recommended, as finding parking in these areas is often nigh on impossible.
Capacity, Seating and Ticket Options
All tickets for Comedy Carnival shows include seating, regardless of venue (both venues have capacity for approximately 200 guests, with seats laid out in a theatre-style arrangement). Seating is allocated on arrival, although it will be pre-allocated for groups of six or more to ensure that all members of the group are seated together. Show & Dinner tickets include reserved seating.
Comedy Carnival exclusively issues e-tickets, which are sent as part of the booking confirmation email and include a reference code that can be shown on the door. All events are for over 18s only.
Both the Leicester Square and Covent Garden venues are wheelchair accessible, although due to fire regulations only two wheelchair users are permitted inside Covent Garden at any time. If you require disabled access, it’s important to contact Comedy Carnival before the show so that arrangements can be made.
