What to know
- Mississauga’s first Great Outdoors Comedy Festival runs from Sept. 11 to 13 at Erindale Park, with John Mulaney, Hasan Minhaj, Ronny Chieng, Nick Kroll and more.
- Just For Laughs Toronto takes place from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3 across several venues, featuring Pete Davidson, Tiffany Haddish, John Cleese, and Joel Kim Booster.
- Mississauga offers five stacked outdoor shows over three days, while Toronto presents a wider mix of stand-up, drag, podcasts, local showcases and theatrical comedy.
- The festivals do not overlap, meaning dedicated comedy fans can attend both instead of choosing between the two lineups.
If you’re trying to decide whether Toronto or Mississauga has the better comedy lineup this fall, here’s the good news: you technically don’t have to choose.
Two major comedy festivals are coming to the GTA in September, but they are taking noticeably different approaches.
Mississauga is packing some of the industry’s biggest names into one outdoor weekend, while Toronto is spreading stand-up, drag, podcasts, musical parodies and other live shows across the city for 10 days.
The festivals also do not overlap. The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival makes its Mississauga debut from Sept. 11 to 13, while Just For Laughs Toronto runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3.
So, which lineup deserves your attention?
Toronto: More variety, more venues, more ways to watch
Just For Laughs Toronto is the larger of the two festivals, with performances taking place at Meridian Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, Bluma Appel Theatre, Randolph Theatre and both Comedy Bar locations.
The first wave of performers included Pete Davidson, Tiffany Haddish, John Cleese, Monét X Change, Joel Kim Booster, Rafi Bastos and Joe List.
Davidson is scheduled to perform at Meridian Hall on Sept. 26, while Haddish takes over the Elgin Theatre that same evening. John Cleese will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Monty Python and the Holy Grail with his Not Dead Yet! show at the Winter Garden Theatre on Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.
The lineup also features Peter Antoniou, Rachel Feinstein, Nick Thune, Caitlin Peluffo, Johny Pemberton, Dustin Nickerson, Alfred Robles, Jackie Fabulous, Emma Willmann, Ray Lau, Conor Janda, Red Richardson, the Sklar Brothers and the Lauren & Mary Show, starring Lauren Lapkus and Mary Holland.
A second wave announced in August expanded the festival beyond traditional stand-up. Newly added performers include viral Cape Breton comedy duo Tracy & Martina, DJ Demers, Ron Taylor, Pat Burtscher and Stef Dag.
Toronto audiences will also be able to catch David Lynch’s Seinfeld, a surreal reimagining of the sitcom that won Best of Fringe at the 2025 Toronto Fringe Festival, as well as six performances of Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody.
Other additions include the pop culture panel show Clash Talk, interactive family show Brains On! Presents Smash Boom Best Live and Loud Asians, a showcase hosted by Yvonne Chung and featuring Toronto comedians including Jordan Leung, Michelle Sui, Bidhur Walia, DK Phan and Jesse Singh.
Audiences can choose between established headliners, smaller club shows, local showcases, drag performances, live podcasts and theatrical comedy. The trade-off is that most performances are separately ticketed and spread across several venues, so fans may have to build their own schedule.
Mississauga: Fewer shows, but some seriously stacked bills
Mississauga’s first Great Outdoors Comedy Festival is much shorter, but its lineup is stacked with recognizable names.
The outdoor festival begins on Friday, Sept. 11, with John Mulaney leading a lineup that also includes Nick Kroll, Mike Birbiglia and Fred Armisen. All four comedians have ties to television, film, sketch comedy and Broadway, making opening night one of the strongest single bills across either festival.
There will be two shows on Saturday. The 2 p.m. session features Adam Ray performing Dr. Phil Live alongside Ms. Pat and T.J. Miller. Jeff Arcuri headlines the 7:30 p.m. show with Brad Williams and Grace O’Malley.
On Sunday, Sept. 13, social media personality and comedian Matt Mathews performs at 2 p.m. with Jordan Jensen and Katherine Blanford. Hasan Minhaj closes the festival at 7:30 p.m. alongside Ronny Chieng and Michael Kosta.
Unlike Toronto’s multi-venue format, all five Mississauga shows will take place at Erindale Park, one of the city’s largest green spaces. The event will also feature food trucks and a full outdoor festival atmosphere.
General admission, GA+, VIP Club and VIP Table tickets are available, along with weekend passes granting entry to every Mississauga show. General admission guests can bring a festival-approved collapsible chair or a blanket measuring up to six feet by six feet.
However, the festival is strictly for audiences aged 19 and older, and all performances will go ahead rain or shine.
So, which festival has the stronger lineup?
For the biggest focus on household names, Mississauga may have the advantage. John Mulaney, Nick Kroll, Mike Birbiglia and Fred Armisen appearing on the same night is difficult to beat, while Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng give the festival another strong pairing.
Toronto wins when it comes to size and variety. Just For Laughs gives audiences more opportunities to discover emerging performers, support Toronto comedians and explore comedy beyond conventional stand-up. It also has the only specifically family-friendly show between the two festivals.
Catch both festivals to decide which one was the winner for yourself this fall.
