With the Canada-U.S. border remaining closed, and live entertainment venues still keeping their doors closed to spectators until further notice as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Just Laughs Group recently announced that its two flagship comedy festivals — Just For Laughs and Juste pour rire — will go the virtual route this fall.
When is Just For Laughs / Juste pour rire virtual festivals?
Just For Laughs will merge its Montreal festival and its ComedyPro series of industry-related programming alongside with the Toronto-based JFL42 and ComedyCon, for a series of virtual shows, performances, events, conversations and panel discussions for comedy fans and industry professionals through a virtual portal, where viewers can choose among the line-up of comedy offerings that will cater to their preferences. And Juste pour rire will offer a mix of comedy programming that is a hybrid of pre-recorded, in-person and virtual performances. And best of all, the line-ups for both festivals will be offered free of charge. Just For Laughs will run on October 9 and 10, while Juste pour rire takes place from September 29 to October 10.
Bruce Hills, President of Just For Laughs, said this about this year’s festival going from live to virtual: “With no precise indication when borders will reopen, and faced with soaring demand for high-quality digital comedy content, we’ve made the decision to move our festival online, while always maintaining our focus on the excellence of our offerings — an excellence that is recognized and appreciated throughout the world.”
Programming details and scheduled performers for both festivals are going to be announced at a later date. As well, the previously announced Ethnic Show, Nasty Show and the Bill Burr concert show has been rescheduled to the summer of 2021. For more information, go to www.hahaha.com .
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