2026 edmonton
comedy festival

Brandon Peters is a rapidly rising stand-up comedian and actor based in Edmonton, Alberta. He is well-known in the local Canadian comedy circuit for co-hosting the acclaimed late-night variety talk show, Public Access, and producing The Brandon Peters Podcast. This will be Brandon's first appearance at the Edmonton Comedy Festival.

Aimée and Jeff are both Gemini, Canadian Comedy Award, AMPIA and Sterling nominated actors and writers. It was in the writing room of a sketch show that Jeff and Aimée discovered their comedy chemistry and aligned their subversive senses of humour. Years later they opened up Spotlight Cabaret. Jeff and Aimée have written 8 musical comedy productions for Spotlight Cabaret including Legends of Music, Moolah Rouge, Prettier Woman, The Tiniest Mermaid, Titanical the Musical, Dirtier Dancing, Alison Wunderland, and Gatsby’s Cabaret. This dynamic duo have also co-hosted countless shows and events including Bourbon & Burlesque, and Ice District Movie Nights.

For over 3 decades Andrew Grose has charmed countless audiences with his hilariously relatable material and quick wit. He’s appeared on some of the most prestigious stages in Canada from Montreal’s Just For Laughs to the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show. He’s performed on countless television specials and at all the major comedy festivals around the world and is now one of the most sought-after comedians in the cruise industry. We’ve lost count of how many times he’s appeared at The Edmonton Comedy Festival but we think it’s 14 times missing only once because he got a better offer. He also is the Producer of this festival.

Ben is a bonafide product of the prairies. This redneck/city-boy/hippy has a blue-collar upbringing, a huge family, and a teenage daughter that are the inspiration and motivation for his comedic escapades. Entertaining audiences from Flin Flon to Nanaimo (and most spots in-between) Ben can now add The Edmonton Comedy Festival to his resumè.

Dave was an Academic All-American golfer who was struck by lightning during a tournament…which significantly altered his career path! Dave has spent the last 20 years performing stand-up comedy around the world and is highly sought after for his particular brand of clean humour, dissecting our day-to-day lives with a razor sharp wit that is oh-so-relatable. Dave has taped numerous gala sets at Just For Laughs, the Halifax Comedy Festival, and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, as well as recording his own Comedy Now! special. Dave is a regular and favorite guest on CBC’s The Debaters and won a Canadian Screen Award for writing on CBC’s Still Standing.

Dave is an acclaimed comedian who has performed stand up all over the world. This includes a tour of the United Kingdom, HBO's prestigious US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, filmed a stand up special for Comedy Central in New York and his own one hour TV special for the Canadian Comedy Network. He was a writer for CBC’s “This Hour has 22 Minutes” during which he won a Canadian Comedy Award and a Writers Guild of Canada Award. He also wrote, produced and starred in “Comedy Club” which was chosen as one of seven finalists out of thousands of submissions for The Reel Madness International Film Festival. He has also written for National Lampoon and the special features on the Anniversary Blu Ray Edition of the cult movie “Office Space”.

Frank’s personable accounts of family life have quickly made him a top headliner at comedy clubs and theatres across Canada and the US. He has been featured at comedy festivals in Australia, South Africa, and is regular face at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, having also toured with the festival multiple times across Canada. Frank’s movie credits include “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle’s”, “Take The Lead” and “The Man” and he has appeared on TV series The Border, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Mr. D, and Murdoch Mysteries. This is only Frank’s second appearance at the Edmonton Comedy Festival because he’s always too busy when we need him.

Grant is Grant. Not much more to say. He sings loudly, louder even when asked if he “ever shuts up.” He works longer, has more fun, and is known as the human form of the energizer bunny. A former hockey goalie, rugby scrum half, football wide receiver, soccer midfielder, he is a born competitor and strategist who initially found his outlet in sport. He has for the past 17 years redirected his unique energy, efforts and caring at managing the pain and injuries of his patients. He is certainly more stubborn than any of your injuries might be

Jen Sakato is a standup comic from Toronto who decided to escape and landed in Edmonton. She has performed across Canada and Asia, at the San Diego Comedy Festival and Just for Laughs Toronto. She has been featured numerous times on CBC Radio and SiriusXM. Her somewhat edgy commentary on being mixed race, relationships and modern life makes her an easy crowd favorite. This is Jen’s first appearance at the Edmonton Comedy Festival but we’re confident it won’t be her last.

With a smooth and clever style, a great smile and a contagious laugh, Kevin has been entertaining in clubs and colleges across the country for over two decades. In 2000 he was the winner of the Midwest region of the HBO “Comedy Competition” and flew to Los Angeles to compete as a finalist. He performed on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend” in 2003, and finished 2nd in the Boston Comedy Competition in 2005. He was a semi-finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” in 2015. Kevin has appeared on Comedy Central, NBC, CBS and Fox. His Dry Bar Comedy Special, “Clean & Unfiltered” has over 7 million views. This is Kevin’s first appearance at The Edmonton Comedy Festival.

Kevin started his comedy career right out of high school as he went on to win Edmonton’s Funniest New Comic a month after graduated. Since then he has continued to entertain across the country with his friendly, relatable style of comedy. He has perfored at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival and appeared on Comedy Networks “Best of Just For Laughs” and “The Comedy Stampede” as well as CBC radios “Madly Off in All Directions”. You may also recognized Kevin from his hosting duties on Global TV’s “Inside Entertainment”, Sun Networks “The DVD Show”, TV Tropolis “Where are They Now” and Shaw TV’s “Movie Reviews with Kevin Stobo”. He can currently be seen on Shaw TV’s “Golf Tips”. Kevin is a favorite at The Edmonton Comedy Festival.

Kyle is an Albertan raised standup comic from Edmonton that has performed all across the province and beyond the prairies. Kyle has performed at a number of festivals, comedy clubs, and theatres. He has also performed for Just for Laughs Originals and can be heard on Sirius XM. He recently recorded his debut comedy special "Part Native." His unique comedy relays his lived experiences as an adopted first nations raised by psychologists, to a chaotic wayward youth, to eventually a recovered old student. Kyle was such a hit at last year’s festival that we knew we had to have him back in 2026.

Lamont is an international award-winning comedian who’s been performing for over 4 decades touring globally and appearing on multiple television shows. He's been the opening act for such notable acts as Steve Harvey, George Lopez and the legendary George Carlin. He is considered to be professional amongst professionals which has led him to being a highly requested entertainer at corporate events as well as a popular guest on numerous television and radio talk shows. Lamont is currently touring the world on cruise ships and is one of the most sought after acts in the cruise industry. He is a regular contributor to the very popular Grose Misconduct Podcast in a segment called “Lamont’s Laments”.

With his playfully subversive voice and dark sense of humour, Leif Oleson-Cormack is redefining the boundaries of queer comedy in Canada. A Juilliard-trained playwright and former video game writer, Leif crafts unforgettably confessional stories that are both wildly vulnerable and hilariously relatable. His critically acclaimed solo show, The Disney Delusion, toured to sold-out houses across Canada, the US, and the UK and was nominated for the Just For Laughs Award for Outstanding English Comedy at the Montreal Fringe. Leif has performed at dozens of festivals worldwide, including Just for Laughs NW, Seattle International Comedy Competition, Edinburgh Fringe and the Grindstone Comedy Festival. This is Leif’s first appearance at The Edmonton Comedy Festival.

Lisa started her comedy career in Chicago and perfected her improv skills at the world famous Second City. With over two decades of experience and touring globally as a Stand Up Comedian, her shows are a surefire hit with meticulously crafted material, clever improv, and more energy than a tank of Red Bull. Lisa’s numerous TV appearances include: HBO MAX, Nick at Nite’s “Funniest Mom in America 2”, “Comics Unleashed”, DryBar Comedy Special, NBC’s “Last Comic Standing”, Harry Connick, Jr Talk Show, and many more. Her new, critically acclaimed 2025 comedy special, taped in Chicago, entitled “Full Picante” is a must-see. Lisa was among the first comedians to appear at the first Edmonton Comedy Festival and we’ve been bringing her back regularly ever since.

Matt is a two time JUNO Award nominated stand-up comedian, writer, and actor who has appeared on multiple televised galas for Just For Laughs, Winnipeg, and Halifax Comedy Festivals. He has opened for Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, John Mulaney, Theo Von among others, and regularly tours comedy clubs and theatres across the country. Matt wrote for six seasons on CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes where he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award, as well as two episodes of Still Standing. As a filmmaker, his short "Snowstorm Roulette" was nominated for Best International Short at the Austin Comedy Festival. Matt recently released his debut comedy special ‘Live at The Majestic’. This is Matt’s first appearance at the Edmonton Comedy Festival.

Shannon hails from the plains of Saskatchewan but now makes her home in Toronto. She is a five-time nominee for the Canadian Comedy Award and has performed across Canada and around the world. She is a featured performer on A Little Sketchy TV (NTD TV) and can also be heard on Sirius XM channels: Just for Laughs Canada, Raw Dog, and She's So Funny in the USA. Shannon has also graced numerous comedy festivals, including the Winnipeg, JFL42 YYC Festival, Sudbury LOL, Ice Breaker Fest, and the Molson Canadian Toronto Comedy Festival. This is Hannon's first appearance at the Edmonton Comedy Festival.

Ron is a Canadian-Filipino comedy superstar who has taken the globe by storm. A master of sharp one-liners, vivid storytelling, and brilliantly observed cultural comedy, Ron brings the perfect blend of smart, slick, and side-splitting. With nearly 20 years of international touring, Ron has become one of the most sought-after comedians on the planet, performing everywhere from North America to Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East. His recent Dry Bar clip went viral—skyrocketing his social media audience from 3,000 to over 120,000 followers, and racking up millions of views across platforms. This is Ron’s first appearance at the Edmonton Comedy Festival.

Rondell has done it all. He is an accomplished actor, director and, of course, Comedian. His new show “Severe Erectile Dysfunction” can be described in three words… irreverent, highly improper and most importantly… hilarious. “Severe Erectile Dysfunction” is a wickedly, juvenile look at getting older. Of course, he is best known as America’s favorite TV dad - Victor Baxter, from Disney’s “That’s so Raven”, “Cory in the House”, and “Raven’s Home”. Rondell has appeared on The Tonight show with both Johnny and Jay. He has appeared at The Edmonton Comedy Festival multiple times and we’re always thrilled when he’s available to come back.

Shayma has been seen on Showtime, Comedy Central and over a dozen shows on the E! Network, including Chelsea Lately. She has also appeared on The Tonight Show on NBC and was cast as a series regular on MTV’s Punk’d. She had her own, regular segment on Fox Sport’s the Best Damn Sports Show Period and she has performed for U.S. Troops in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Korea, Japan, and throughout Europe. Shayma has worked with the biggest names in comedy opening for George Lopez, Bill Maher, Tom Green and recently spent 5 years opening for Carrot Top in Las Vegas where she has established a following of her own. Shayma has also performed with such comedians as Louis CK, Bill Burr, Martin Lawrence, Andrew Dice Clay, Louie Anderson, and many more. Talented, funny and not afraid to tell the truth, this high energy performer is a must see!