Manchester comedy festival A Lovely Weekend has announced its final wave of acts for 2026, with Last One Laughing runner-up Sam Campbell and SNL UK‘s Paddy Young headlining the new additions. The pair will bring their brand new show FLOGGERZ to the Fairfield Social Club on Saturday night, 30th May, as part of the three-day event running from Friday 29th to Sunday 31st May 2026.
Campbell and Young are joined by a strong supporting cast of returning and new names. Manchester favourites Rachael Fairburn and Brennan Reece are back for another year, alongside actor and stand-up Freya Parker, sharp-witted Hannah Platt, Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Katie Norris, and Jonathan Oldfield, the creator and star of BBC’s Time of the Week.
Rounding out the 2026 line-up are award-winning newcomer Ayo Adenekan, London-based comic Sam Eley, Ed Easton of sketch group Tarot, Welsh comedian and Early Worms podcast co-host Anna Thomas, and A Lovely Weekend co-producer and comic Chris Cantrill.
Producer John Stansfield said: “One of the joys of this festival is introducing new comedians that we love to comedy fans so we’re delighted to have the likes of Jonathan Oldfield, Sam Eley and Anna Thomas joining us for the weekend alongside huge names like Paddy Young and Sam Campbell!”
Demand for the festival has been strong, with Saturday and weekend passes now completely sold out. Sunday passes remain on sale at £45, and individual show tickets are also still available. Remaining tickets can be purchased at alovelytime.co.uk/a-lovely-weekend.
A Lovely Weekend takes place at the Fairfield Social Club, 6 Irk Street, Manchester M4 4JT, and is sponsored by Found, the venue’s commercial operator, and alcohol-free brewery BRULO. Organised by John Stansfield and Chris Cantrill through their production company A Lovely Time, the festival has grown steadily over three years into one of Manchester’s most respected comedy events.
Image credits: Em Humble
In this article: Sam Campbell, Paddy Young, Brennan Reece, Freya Parker, Anna Thomas, Saturday Night Live UK, British Broadcasting Corporation, Manchester. Generated by Wikidata Schema Link Builder.
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