I get asked this a lot, usually by comedians at the bar after a show: can a festival in Madrid really stand next to the big European names? Two editions in, my honest answer is yes. Not this year, and probably not next year either. But the pieces are there, and I want to explain why I think so.
It started small and filled every room
The first Madrid International Comedy Festival took place in October 2025. Four days, six venues, 23 shows and more than 50 comedians from over 20 countries. Every show sold out. We had no big budget and no events agency behind us, just comedians who perform in this city every week and wanted to build something real.
In October 2026 we came back bigger. More venues across central Madrid, comedians from more than 20 countries, and shows in English, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Italian and Portuguese. Alberto Closas and Santiago Iturralde were the godparents of this second edition. If you want the full story of those four days, read our 2026 recap.
Madrid is the right city
Festivals grow with their cities, and Madrid is growing. It is one of the biggest capitals in Europe, and the regional economy grew faster than Spain’s as a whole in 2025, according to CaixaBank Research. Visitors keep coming too: the city’s 2025 tourism report counts 6.6 million international visitors last year.
It is also a city made for a festival. Dinner at ten, a show at eleven, then a walk through Malasaña to the next venue after midnight. For years Barcelona got most of the international attention. That is changing fast. I go deeper into this in why Madrid is the right city for a big comedy festival.
The comedy is good, in more than one language
Spain has a strong stand-up scene in Spanish, and Madrid has a growing English-language scene full of comedians from all over the world who now call the city home. That mix is what makes MCF different.
We opened 2026 with a gala at Picnic hosted by Joseph Ewonde Jr. and Alicia Montoya. That same night Ignatius Farray and Danny Boy shared the stage there, while across town people were laughing at shows in English and Portuguese. Iain Anderson, who I think is one of the most exciting comics coming up right now, did a show and a writing workshop. Simon Palomares hosted our Saturday showcase at Teatro Las Aguas. Every show runs in the language it was written in. No translation, no subtitles. More on the names in big names, small rooms.
People come back
This is the part I am proudest of. A lot of the faces in the audience this year were people who came in 2025. Some brought friends. Some came for one show and stayed for three. When people come back, a festival stops being a one-off and becomes a habit.
Comedians feel it too. Giselle Jara, who performed this year, made a video about her experience at the festival and called it the best experience of her life.
And the experience is bigger than the shows. You meet people in the queue, at the bar, on the walk to the next venue. Locals sit next to tourists, Spanish speakers next to someone who moved here last month. I wrote about that in the people of MCF 2026.
A team that really wants this
MCF is built by comedians, volunteers and venue owners who give their time because they believe Madrid deserves a festival like this. That kind of ambition is hard to fake and impossible to buy. The behind-the-scenes story explains how we pulled it off.
What “one of the best” would take
I want to be honest about this. The Edinburgh Fringe has been running since 1947. We are two editions old. To get where we want to be, we need more partners, more international headliners, better spaces and a festival that runs smoothly even when it doubles in size. We know that, and we are working on all of it.
But the city is ready, the comedians are here, and the audience keeps coming back. That is a better start than most festivals get.
Come and see for yourself
The third edition is planned for 6–9 October 2027 in Madrid. Programme, venues and tickets will be announced later. Until then, look through photos from past editions, follow us on Instagram, and read what comes next.
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Mehdi Mahtaj, Founder, Madrid International Comedy Festival
