Reasons to Love Vancouver #12: Because Gastown Is Now Comedy Central

There weren’t a ton of reasons to laugh in the aftermath of 2020’s lockdowns—and thanks to a rash of comedy club shutdowns around that time, not a lot of places to laugh, either. The two duelling standup clubs, Yuk Yuks and the Comedy Mix, both closed up shop before the pandemic hit; beloved indie rooms like the Kino Cafe and Little Mountain Gallery shuttered in the ensuing years, too. But from the comedy ashes, a new slew of venues is arising, including a trio of exciting rooms within blocks of each other in Gastown. Laughter lives!—S.M.

Little Mountain Gallery Comedy

Beloved alt-comedy clubhouse LMG has been reincarnated in a bigger, shinier Water Street space (pictured above), now with two theatres and a central bar all dedicated to providing affordable space for up-and-coming comics and all-stars to do standup, sketch, improv and  curious comedy experiments (like dog-friendly shows). 110 Water St., littlemountaingallery.ca

Underground Comedy

The speakeasy-style club is hidden underneath a British-style pub, The Hoxton, with stand-up shows running Wednesday through Sunday. Josh Romyn’s True Enough show gives comedians a theme each week to ruminate on, and is a highlight. (Full disclosure: he’s also married to our digital manager.)  120 W Hastings St., ugcomedy.com

Comedy After Dark

The comedy bar and kitchen is run by longtime standup comic and producer Suzy Rawsome, and the 12-plus weekly shows run the gamut from new comic showcases to Taco Tuesday all-ladies standup nights.  117 W Pender St., comedyafterdark.ca

Find more Reasons to Love Vancouver here.