Comedy at the Taproom Sunday Showcase 2026
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**Unfortunately Sara Pascoe can no longer make our show at Double-Barrelled Brewery due to filming commitments that have over run. The show will feature performances from Zoe Lyons, Esther Manito and Adam Kay.**
Reading Indie Comedy Festival will return in 2025 between the 14 - 17 of May.
The festival will comprise of 4 days of hilarious shows across Reading's independent comedy circuit.
Further detail will follow as we confirm the festival programme so keep an eye on this page.
Sunday's headline event at Double-Barrelled Brewery on Sunday's 17 May will be closed by the hilarious Sara Pascoe.
Festival Pass - Early Bird (£40)
Festival Pass - Standard Advance (£50)
Advance - Sara Pascoe ONLY (£18)
Lineup subject to change. Timings may changes slightly as we finalise the festival schedule.
Confirmed partners:
Laughter Craft Comedy, Mates Rates Comedy Club, Stand and Deliver Comedy Club, Roast Battle UK, Milk Bar, Double-Barrelled Brewery, plus more.
Adam Kay
Adam Kay is a BAFTA-winning author, TV writer, comedian and former junior doctor. His first book, This is Going to Hurt, spent over a year at number one in the Sunday Times bestseller list, was translated into 38 languages, won numerous awards and sold over three million copies. He is also one of the country’s bestselling children’s authors, with titles including Kay’s Anatomy, the fastest selling kids’ non-fiction book of the decade. His children’s books have been translated into 32 languages and sold over a million copies.
"Painfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable."
Stephen Fry
"Rip-roaringly comic and seriously passionate"
The Standard
Esther Manito
Esther Manito is Lebanese-British stand up comedian and winner of Best Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival.
After reaching the finals of So You Think You’re Funny and the Funny Women awards, her debut solo show led to an appearance on Live at the Apollo (BBC Two).
Opener Zoe Lyons
Zoe took her first steps down the comedy path in 2003 after training as an actress at the Poor School in London. She went on to win the Funny Women Competition in 2004 and her debut Edinburgh show was nominated for the if.comedy newcomer award. In 2008 she won the Dave, Funniest Joke of The Fringe Award.
Zoe has appeared in many TV and radio shows including Mock the Week, The Wright Stuff, Michael McIntyre Roadshow, The Now Show, The News Quiz and many more. She also travels the world being funny, you may have seen her performing in Australia, New Zealand and Leicester.
