Belly Laughs comedy & food festival launches in Birmingham - a fab New Year treat & helps homeless people

Launching this January for the first time in Birmingham, Belly Laughs is a comedy and food festival that brings smiles to faces, punters to independent venues, and money to local grassroots charities!

Since being founded in Bristol by comedian Mark Olver in 2018, Belly Laughs has raised over £100k for local and grassroots charities and put an estimated £120,000 into local hospitality.

The Birmingham launch will see contributions from local comedians and familiar faces including Lindsay Santoro, Danny Clives, Andy White, Celya AB and James Cook.

Venues that have signed up include: The Old Crown in Digbeth, Le Petit Bois in Moseley, The Juke in Kings Heath, Arch 13 in the Jewellery Quarter and Ju Ju’s cafe in Canal Square.

And the charity partner is SIFA Fireside, a drop-in centre in Digbeth which provides essential services to tackle homelessness, hidden homelessness, and support people in crisis - and it sees 120 adults a day, supplying them with hot food, clothing job consultations, showers, laundry facilities, a classroom, medical centre - and more.

With latest figures showing that over 100 homeless people have died in the city since 2017, and 20 of these passing away last year, there has never been a more important time to support our charities helping people in need.

Belly Laughs serves as a lucky dip comedian potluck. You might get a well-known comedian or a rising local star- and that’s part of the fun! In Belly Laugh’s home city of Bristol, this is a sell-out month-long event where punters can’t wait to see what comedian will grace the stage.

What to expect?

Belly Laughs pop-up comedy gigs partner with independent food and drink venues during the traditionally quiet month of January in order to give the local economy a boost.

Tickets start from £10 and include food and/or drink in the ticket price as well as a brilliant night of stand-up comedy in venues across Birmingham. Tickets go on sale in November through local experiences partner yuup.co. £5 from each sale will go to support local Birmingham homeless charity SIFA Fireside.

Founder Mark said “We do nights where food, comedy and doing good stuff for others meet together. We’re really excited to be spreading our wings a little and launching in Birmingham which is a great city for comedy.

I’m always blown away by people’s generosity at these events and am sure we can raise some money for SIFA Fireside whilst having a bit of a laugh at the same time”.

A bit more about Belly Laughs charity partner SIFA Fireside

SIFA Fireside tackles homelessness in Birmingham. They help both homeless and hidden homeless people rebuild their lives with safety and dignity by providing essential social and health services that help.

Natalie Allen, the CEO of SIFA Fireside said: “Belly Laughs is such a great initiative and we are very fortunate to have it in Birmingham for the first time. It is a great opportunity for people living across Birmingham to have fun and lots of laughs during the most miserable month of the year, whilst raising awareness and vital funds to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

“SIFA Fireside is a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable citizens in Birmingham. Our daily drop is mostly funded by donations and allows us to provide essential support and access to services.”

To check out the Belly Laughs gigs and buy tickets go to: Belly Laughs in Birmingham