| Great Outdoors Comedy Festival | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Stand-up comedy festival |
| Dates | Summer; July-August (varies by city) |
| Locations | Canada (Edmonton, Halifax, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg); United States (Spokane, Washington) |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Founders | Trixstar LIVE |
| Attendance | 383,900+ (as of 2025) [1] |
| Website | greatoutdoorscomedyfestival.com |
Great Outdoors Comedy Festival (GOCF) is an annual multi-day outdoor comedy festival held across several cities in Canada and the United States. Founded in 2021 by Trixstar Entertainment, the festival features high-profile international comedians performing in parks and open-air venues.
History
The festival debuted in August 2021 in Edmonton, Alberta, as a post-pandemic outdoor event designed to allow larger gatherings while mitigating indoor transmission risks.[2]
It expanded to multiple Canadian cities in subsequent years and staged its first U.S. stop in Spokane, Washington in 2024.[3]
Format
GOCF events take place in large outdoor parks and open air venues (e.g., Kinsmen Park in Edmonton, Stanley Park in Vancouver, Garrison Grounds in Halifax). Audiences typically bring lawn chairs and blankets; the festival provides multiple ticket tiers, VIP areas, and on-site concessions. [4]
Lineups by year
2021
The inaugural Edmonton festival featured comedians including David Spade, Chelsea Handler, Nikki Glaser, and Donnell Rawlings.[5]
2022
Programming expanded into Calgary, Alberta with touring headliners, such as Bill Burr, David Spade, and Whitney Cummings.[6]
2023
GOCF goes coast to coast in Canada, expanding into Vancouver and Halifax. [7]
2024
The festival expanded to Spokane, Washington, where it hosted a multi-day event featuring Kevin Hart and Tom Segura.[8][9]
A planned stop in London, Ontario was cancelled in July 2024 due to severe rainfall and unsafe ground conditions; performers affected included Bill Burr and Tom Segura.[10]
2025
Major headliners in 2025 included John Mulaney, Martin Short, Whitney Cummings, Trailer Park Boys, Nick Kroll, Tony Hinchcliffe and the Killers of Kill Tony, Theo Von, Bert Kreischer and Mike Birbiglia at various city stops; local press covered surprise appearances and notable moments (e.g., Martin Short’s Jiminy Glick character interacting with Winnipeg’s mayor).[11]
2026
First-wave announcements for 2026 headliners and dates include multi-city weekends in 5 cities across Canada and 1 city in the US.[12]
Edmonton (Kinsmen Park, July 17-19, 2026) – Announced headliners include Matt Rife [13][14]
Winnipeg (Assiniboine Park, July 17-19, 2026) – Announced headliners include Matt Rife [15]
Halifax (Garrison Grounds, Aug 6-9, 2026) – Announced headliners include Matt Rife, Nikki Glaser, Fortune Feimster, and Steph Tolev [16][17][18]
Calgary (Prince’s Island Park, Aug 28-30, 2026) – Announced headliners include Matt Rife [15]
Vancouver (Stanley Park, Aug 28-30, 2026) – Announced headliners include Matt Rife [19]
Spokane, Washington, USA (ONE Spokane Stadium, Aug 29-30, 2026) – Announced headliners include Matt Rife [20]
Independent coverage of GOCF appears across national and regional outlets. Notable sources include:
See also
References
- ^ “GOCF History & Alumni”. Great Outdoors Comedy Festival.
- ^ Media, Odvod (2025-07-09). “A Park Ranger’s Guide to the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival”. Edify. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ “Spokane to host the 3-day Great Outdoors Comedy Festival in 2024”. The Inlander. 2024-02-14.
- ^ “What to know about the coming Great Outdoors Comedy Festival”. NSNews. 2025-09-10.
- ^ Trixstar (2021-07-13). “The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival is Bringing the Laughs this Summer”. GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ Writers, CelebrityAccess Staff (2022-03-15). “The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival Expands To Calgary For 2022”. CelebrityAccess. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ Deacon, Chantelle (2023-07-18). “Great Outdoor Comedy Festival goes Coast-To-Coast across Canada”. EIN Presswire. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ “Tom Segura adds Great Outdoors Comedy Festival to 2024 tour”. V13 Media.
- ^ “Kevin Hart at Great Outdoors Comedy Festival in Spokane”. KREM. 2024-02-13.
- ^ “Outdoor comedy festival cancelled after record-setting rain in London, Ont”. Global News. 2024-07-16.
- ^ “Friends with the benedicts”. Winnipeg Free Press. 2025-07-17.
- ^ Willschick, Aaron (2025-10-15). “The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival Reveals Initial 2026 Headliners”. V13.net. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ “Matt Rife headlining Saturday at the July 17-19 Great Outdoors Comedy Fest”. Edmonton Journal via Yahoo News. 2025-10-14. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ Antoneshyn, Alex (2025-10-15). “Matt Rife to kick off Great Outdoors Comedy Festival 2026 in Edmonton”. CTVNews. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ a b Canada, To Do (2025-10-15). “Great Outdoors Comedy Festival Reveals 2026 Locations and Initial Lineup”. To Do Canada. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ Langille, Dylan. “Matt Rife and Nikki Glaser Headline Great Outdoor Comedy Fest 2026”. Surge 105. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ Northup, Kevin. “Nikki Glaser, Matt Rife to headline Great Outdoors Comedy Festival in Halifax”. Y95.5. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ “Atlantic Canada: Local News, Weather & Traffic Updates”. CTV News. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ Staff, CTVNewsVancouver ca (2025-10-14). “Great Outdoors Comedy Festival”. CTVNews. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ “Great Outdoors Comedy Festival unveils first wave of headliners for 2026”. KREM. 2025-10-14.
- ^ LeBlanc, Daniel (2023-07-11). “Kevin Hart and Russell Peters headline Vancouver’s Great Outdoors Comedy Festival”. Exclaim!.
- ^ “Great Outdoors Comedy Festival | News, Videos & Articles”. Global News. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ “CTVNews”. CTVNews. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ “Friends with the benedicts”. Winnipeg Free Press. 2025-07-17.
- ^ “Spokane to host the 3-day Great Outdoors Comedy Festival in 2024”. The Inlander. 2024-02-14.
- ^ “Kevin Hart at Great Outdoors Comedy Festival in Spokane”. KREM. 2024-02-13.
- ^ “What to know about the coming Great Outdoors Comedy Festival”. NSNews. 2025-09-10.
