Career Breakthroughs
A comedy festival Montreal residents and tourists adore, attracting almost two million spectators every year, the Just For Laughs fest also caters to industry needs. Crawling with talent scouts, booking agents, managers and producers looking for the next big thing, many of today's household names -- Denis Leary, Tim Allen, Dave Chapelle, even Jon Stewart -- got their big break at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival or saw their career (serendipitously?) take off after participating. And in some cases, acts that were tried out in Montreal ended up attracting international acclaim. Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean for example, was first tested on Montreal crowds back in 1989. The public raved and the BBC was tuning in. The rest is television history.
Stand-up Comedy: A Just For Laughs Specialty
The Montreal Just for Laughs Festival's main feature is stand-up comedy and the fest attracts present and future A-listers, up-and-coming rookies and literally the best comedy in the world. Past guests include:
- Jim Carrey
- Tina Fey
- Danny Bhoy
- Jon Stewart
- John Cleese
- Eddie Izzard
- Lily Tomlin
- Rhod Gilbert
- Sugar Sammy
- Everyone linked to SCTV
- Nearly every cast member from Saturday Night Live
- Nearly every comedian that got his/her own sitcom
- The Kids in the Hall
- Marc Labrèche
- Rachid Badouri
- Louis-José Houde
Free Street Arts
Closing off the Latin Quarter to cars (St. Denis, from Ste. Catherine to Sherbrooke), performance artists, giant puppet thingies and creepy types gently entertain/harass the roving public, who are often on the lookout for impromptu street antics anyways. From fire-breathing comedy to live statues to drumming harlequins circling random strangers into submission, Just For Laughs street arts are so much fun, great for all ages and it's free!
Montreal Just For Laughs Film Festival
Organizers added a film portion to Just For Laughs in 1997. Most of the worldwide premieres, short films and other features are shown at the gorgeous Imperial Theatre. Past screenings include Pineapple Express, The Deal and Just Buried.
Just For Laughs Montreal: Other Events
The comedy fest isn't just about stand-up. Or film. Or even comedy. Unique performances like Slava’s Snowshow, Arturo Brachetti, and the KGB Clowns were booked at Just For Laughs. The Montreal comedy festival also covers dance acts, notably Stomp when it was in its infancy and the critically acclaimed Brazilian act Balé de Rua.
Find out who is going to be at the 2009 Just For Laughs Festival.
