The Carlow Comedy Festival 2025 concluded following four successful nights of live entertainment across Carlow town, welcoming over 500 attendees between Thursday 11 and Sunday 14 December as part of Féile Lonrach – Festival of Glow. Delivered across multiple venues, the festival combined nationally recognised comedians with emerging local talent, creating a lively and engaging programme that contributed significantly to the town’s night-time economy while raising funds for the Pan Celtic International Festival 2026.
The festival opened on Thursday night at Teach Dolman with Shite Talk, setting an energetic and informal tone for the weekend. On Friday, the programme moved to the Seven Oaks Hotel, where performances by Neil Delamere, Martin Angolo and Kevin McGahern drew a strong audience and highlighted the festival’s ability to attract high-profile acts to Carlow. Saturday night saw Scraggs Alley animated by performances from Fred Cooke, Jason Brennan, Edwin Sammon and Kev Larney, further reinforcing the festival’s role in activating town-centre venues and supporting local hospitality businesses. The festival concluded on Sunday with two events: an evening performance at The Barracks featuring Emma Doran, Aideen McQueen and Emman Idama, followed by The Last Christmas Laugh at Tully’s, providing a fitting and festive finale.
Reflecting on the success of the festival, Mayor of Carlow, Cllr. Paul Doogue, noted the importance of cultural events in supporting Carlow’s evening economy:
“The Carlow Comedy Festival has created a real sense of energy across the town over four nights, bringing people into our venues and supporting local businesses. Events like this are essential to building a vibrant night-time economy and reinforcing Carlow as a place for high-quality entertainment and shared social experiences.”
Developed as a pilot initiativeby Carlow County Council with support from Shannon Basso Gaule the festival explored new approaches to animating the night-time economy through arts and live performance. Kieran Comerford, Head of Economic Development & Enterprise with Carlow County Council, highlighted the wider impact of the event:
“With over 500 people attending across the festival, this initiative demonstrates how well-curated cultural programming can increase footfall, strengthen local venues and enhance the overall town-centre experience. The learning from this pilot will help inform future night-time economy initiatives in Carlow.”
The Carlow Comedy Festival 2025 demonstrated the value of collaborative, place-based cultural programming in supporting local enterprise, enhancing the evening economy and delivering memorable experiences for residents and visitors alike as part of Féile Lonrach.