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The Winnipeg Comedy Festival (WCF) is an annual national comedy festival, held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The week-long festival takes place at several venues throughout the city, featuring stand-up, sketch, and improvisational comedy.
| Winnipeg Comedy Festival | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Various |
| Location(s) | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Established | 2002 |
| Founders | Lara Rae and Tom Anniko |
| Next event | May 2–7, 2023 |
| Sponsor | Manitoba Liquor Mart |
| Website | winnipegcomedyfestival |
Performances from the festival are broadcast as a radio series on CBC Radio One and as a television series on The Comedy Network and CBC Television. It is the highest rated comedy festival series on CBC Television.[1]
The Winnipeg Comedy Festival was created in 2002 by comedian Lara Rae and CBC Radio producer Tom Anniko, who pitched the idea of a weekend-long comedy festival that could be recorded and aired on CBC Radio. Partnering with the Gas Station Arts Centre in Winnipeg's Osborne Village, the WCF was established soon after.[2]
Anniko—who at the time was working as executive producer for radio comedy and drama for CBC—saw the festival as an opportunity to "try out new shows" that could be developed for radio. As such, he claims, CBC's The Debaters is one such show that came out of the festival, along with various other pilots and specials.[2]
Comic headliners of the inaugural year were Dave Broadfoot, Cathy Jones, and David Steinberg.[1] Comedian Brian Hartt's performance that year won the Gemini Award for Individual Performance in a Comedy Program or Series during the 18th Gemini Awards in 2023.[3]
| Year | Headliners[1] | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Brian Hartt's performance that year won the Gemini Award for Individual Performance in a Comedy Program or Series during the 18th Gemini Awards in 2003.[3] | |
| 2003 | The festival expands to include two rural tours, visiting 4 English and 4 French communities. | |
| 2004 | ||
| 2005 |
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| 2006 |
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CBC Radio comedy series The Debaters premiered with host Shaun Majumder.
Mike Smith's performance as Bubbles was nominated for a Gemini Award in the category of Best Host of a Comedy or Variety Show.[4] Some of the year's galas debuted on the Comedy Network. |
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| 2008 |
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To promote the festival, Big Daddy Tazz held a stand-up marathon on April Fools' Day, performing 8.5 hours of uninterrupted, original material. |
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