2018 ComediHa! Fest-Quebec’s revamped experience
Sold-out Festival
Quebec City, Monday August 20, 2018 – After 12 days of fun and laughter in Quebec City, the 19th annual ComediHa! Fest-Quebec, in collaboration with TELUS and Loto-Québec, once again delighted thousands of festivalgoers who came to “See the funny side of life.” The festival was quite the global comedy central, where 450 artists and performers took part this year in more than 300 shows and activities. With a budget of over $11 million, ComediHa! Fest-Quebec revamped its format by providing a new and unique comedic experience.
New features at 19th annual festival
ComediHa! Fest-Quebec featured an experiential component with two playground villages and various unusual venues that were quite popular with festivalgoers and artists alike. The Ha!ngar, a room built entirely of containers, drew in big crowds, especially for the highly anticipated Piment Fortshows, which sold out very night. The Show Mystère, L’heure de pointe, 60 minutes de stand-upand Comédie dans le noirshows were also big sell-outs throughout the festival.
For the first time, free activities and shows were available to the public. They included a zip line, the St-Hubert climbing wall, the Défi-Évasion escape room, the live juke box, the enchanted forest and ComediHa! Dell’Arte, drawing in young and old crowds alike. High-wire walker Laurence Tremblay-Vu’s show was presented every evening at 6 p.m., where he amazed spectators with his incredible feats. Festivalgoers were also able to enjoy the MiHa!M Quebec food space, as well as nearby rest areas.
The first partnership with Facebook led to the Bang Bang Rodéoshow, streamed live on ComediHa!’s Facebook page. The show, hosted by comedic duo Sèxe Illégal and 100% uncensored, was enjoyed by a live and online audience.
Old standbys always popular
The traditional ComediHa! Galas presented by TELUS were back at Palais Montcalm, an exceptional intimate venue. Expectations were met—even surpassed—thanks to the big-name hosts and their guests who gave the audience some magical moments. ComediHa! Galas presented by TELUS will be broadcast on ICI Radio-Canada Télé starting in September.
The ComediHa! Club Best ofshows were also recorded for television and won over comedy fans by featuring up-and-coming comics. The shows will be broadcast under the program name Trait d’humouron the Unis TV channel as of October.
Worldwide appeal
ComediHa! Fest-Quebec has cemented its reputation as a global comedy showcase by attracting international artists and industry professionals from all over the world. An impressive number of tourists were in town to appreciate the likes of French comedians Kev Adams and Jarry, who won over the local and non-local audience. There were also members of the International Emmy Awards jury attending the festival, who were there to watch and evaluate Latin American television productions.
Towards the 20th anniversary
The ComediHa! Fest-Quebec team is already working on the 20th annual festival with the aim of enhancing the experience for festivalgoers while continuing to develop the concept of playground villages. As announced in July, ComediHa! Fest will be expanding into six Quebec regions next summer to reach a wider audience and provide a top quality professional festival experience.
Thanks to our partners
ComediHa! Fest-Quebec greatly appreciates the invaluable support of its collaborating partners, TELUS and Loto-Québec, as well as Discount, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Couche-Tard, Les Rôtisseries St-Hubert, Montellier, Énergir, National Bank, Government of Canada, Government of Quebec, City of Quebec, Quebec City Tourism, Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec, Radio-Canada, Canal D, Unis TV, Canada Media Fund, Le Journal de Québec, Rouge, Énergie, Réseau de transport de la Capitale, Marrakech du Rire, Liège’s Voo Rire, Switzerland’s Morges-Sous-Rire, Cannes’ Performance d’acteur, ComediHa! Agency, Palais Montcalm, Impérial Bell, Cinemania Film Festival, Quebec City Film Festival and Taverne Grande Allée.
ABOUT COMEDIHA! Voir la vie en drôle
ComediHa! is a major creator of comedy content distributed through multiple broadcast platforms, including live and televised. ComediHa! is one of the world’s most influential leaders in the various laughter communities, among both performers and the mass audience. The passion shown by our 60 full-time permanent employees and 1,400 full-time temporary staff helps “making people laugh worldwide.” ComediHa! comprises over 20 management artists, three offices (Quebec City, Montreal and Los Angeles), over $25 million in sales, over 1 million followers on our social media and related networks, over 50 million television viewers in Canada and 100 million viewers around the world, over 3,000 shows, more than 500 television shows and products broadcast in over 100 countries, a major festival in Quebec City in August, and five associated festivals around the world.
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Marie-Josée Tremblay, Public Relations Officer
ComediHa! Agency
418 647-2525, ext. 126
MarieJosee.Tremblay@ComediHa.com
