ImprovFestivals.orgMaidstone Improv Festival
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates | September 17-20, 2026 |
| Edition | 3rd annual |
| Location | Maidstone, United Kingdom |
| Venues | Exchange Studio, Craft Brewed, Maidstone Museum |
| Language | English |
| Organizer | Chris Riley / County Town Improv |
| Website | maidstoneimprovfestival.com |
| Maidstone Improv Festival |
Overview
The Maidstone Improv Festival is four days of live improv comedy shows and workshops hosted across venues in Maidstone, Kent. Organized by County Town Improv (Maidstone's own improv group, founded in January 2023 by Chris Riley), the festival brings together local and visiting professional improv companies from Kent and beyond. After launching in 2024 as a nine-day programme, the organizers condensed the festival to a weekend in 2025 and run a Thursday-through-Sunday programme for the third edition.
The 2026 programme spans seven events across three venues (Exchange Studio, Craft Brewed, and Maidstone Museum), with the Saturday Improvaganza at Exchange Studio billed as the headline show, featuring The Two McClanes and Folkestone Improv Theatre. The festival opens Thursday with a Two-Prov Night at Craft Brewed (No Name Nomads and The Chairmen Of The Bored), County Town Improv perform their short-form sell-out Instacomedy at Maidstone Museum on Friday, and the weekend closes with a Comedy Brunch at Craft Brewed on Sunday. A free late-night improv jam, Improv Chutney, follows the headline show on Saturday.
Workshops
Saturday daytime workshops at the Exchange Studio include a two-hour kids' improv class (ages 8 to 18) and a four-hour Pro Improv block led by Lucy Trodd and Seamus Allen, each running a two-hour session.