Let’s Go Out! 10 Places to Watch Live Comedy in Vancouver

Little Mountain Gallery

110 Water St. littlemountaingallery.ca

The iconic DIY comedy shack is back—all grown up and with 800 percent more working washrooms. Despite the new address in Gastown, the indie chaos and underground-clubhouse charm remain. Catch wonderfully bizarre, anything-goes shows like Bloodfeud! (stand-up vs. improv), Comedy Bingo!, WikiProv, Taskmaster-themed mayhem and the oddball Reddit-inspired “Am I the Asshole Gameshow,” to name a few.

MUST-SEE: Grad School Improv’s monthly shows are joyful (highly topical) experiments in parody, spoofing shows like The Bachelor, The O.C. or Succession.

READ MORE: Gastown Has Quietly Become a Live-Comedy Hub in Vancouver

The Fox  Cabaret

2321 Main St., foxcabaret.com

You’ve probably seen a lineup outside every Saturday: it is, after all, an excellent place to get your dance on (see page 59). But this beloved indie venue (and former adult theatre) is also the home of legendary weekly improv legends The Sunday Service (every Sunday, if that wasn’t obvious) and, upstairs in the Fox Projection Room, you’ll find an eclectic mix of stand-up shows.

MUST-SEE: New Moon Comedy rises monthly in the Projection Room to spotlight queer and feminist comedians in an intimate setting.

Underground Comedy Club

120 W Hastings St. ugcomedy.com

The dynamic Gastown club employs over 100 comedians, each night uniquely booked with rotating hosts and hilarious themes from Wednesday to Sunday. On any given night, you can catch the city’s best comedians (as seen on Netflix, CBC, Just for Laughs, Canada’s Got Talent and HBO) dropping in to perfect their sets.

MUST-SEE: Every Wednesday, Josh Romyn’s True Enough show gives comedians a new theme to unpack, like “Sex and Drugs and Stuff” or “It’s All in Your Head.” (Full disclosure: he’s married to our digital manager—but he’s funny, we promise!)

China Cloud Studios

524 Main St. @chinacloudstudios

A hidden gem—seriously, you’ve probably walked past it many times without realizing it—for indie comedy and experimental performances, China Cloud offers cozy charm and a laidback vibe (think cool indie living room with couches) for monthly comedy delights—look for the sidewalk sign outside the unmarked black door: if you’re climbing too many stairs, you’re in the right place!

MUST-SEE: Comedy World, a twice-monthly standup show featuring a roster of pros.

604 Studios

795 E Cordova St., comedyhereoften.com

Did you know that the Chad Kroeger-owned 604 Records also has a comedy label? Follow Comedy Here Often on Instagram or visit the website to snag tickets to live monthly stand-up tapings at the vibrant (and hidden) 604 Studios in East Van. Clips from these sets often go viral; next time it happens, you can say “I was there!”

MUST-SEE: Monthly stand-up showcases from the city’s most promising rising stars.

Comedy After Dark

117 W Pender St., comedyafterdark.ca

Gastown’s speakeasy-inspired comedy restaurant and bar delivers smash burgers and other comfort food classics, cocktails and stand-up from Vancouver’s pros and fearless newcomers.

MUST-SEE: The weekly Taco Tuesdays All-Ladies Stand-Up Comedy Show features $5 tacos, beers, tequila shots and Vancouver’s funniest women.

Tightrope Impro Theatre

2343 Main St., tightropetheatre.com

Main Street’s intimate improv hub mixes comedy, storytelling and spontaneous absurdity in equal measure. Cozy, friendly and always fresh, find it right on Main Street, beside the Uptown Barber Shop (which also hosts their own “The Barber Chop” stand-up comedy show).

MUST-SEE: The Yes Files (Saturdays, 8 p.m.)—X-Files meets improv meets existential laughter.

Cambrian Hall and the Russian Cultural Centre

215 E 17th Ave. (Cambrian Hall in Mount Pleasant), 2114 W 4th Ave. (Kitsilano’s RCC), @jokespleaseshow

Award-winning stand-up showcase Jokes Please! alternates between these two intimate venues every weekend, meticulously curated by comedy pro Ross Dauk.

MUST-SEE: Jokes Please! features a lineup of seasoned pros and rising stars every Friday (Cambrian Hall) and Saturday (RCC).

READ MORE: Jokes Please Is Still Bringing the Laughs, 12 Years In

Chill X Studio

2270 Manitoba St., chillxstudio.ca

Chill X is the newer comedy kid on the block, in Mount Pleasant’s unofficial “micro-brewery-forward” district. The palm trees and neon aesthetic serve as a Batman-style beacon, luring in Main Street’s hippest crowds to the intimate, women-owned and -operated indie space for everything from weekly stand-up showcases with top comedy talent to live music and yoga.

MUST-SEE: Chill, Comedy is every Friday and features indie stand-ups trying out their best bits.

The Show Cellar (in The Park Pub)

1755 Davie St., parkpub.ca

It’s gastropub-meets-comedy-club vibes in the West End. The sports bar moonlights as a comedy hot spot where you can find food, drinks and standout comedy nights like the regular Cellar Comedy (every Thursday) and the recurring improv show, Saturday Night Laughs. Bonus: it’s right by English Bay, so you can hit the beach before holing up for some laughs.

MUST-SEE: Cellar Comedy on Thursdays is where you’ll find weekly professional stand-up comedy.