Major outdoor comedy festival expected to attract tens of thousands of people in Mississauga

A major outdoor comedy festival coming to Mississauga for the first time is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors, organizers say.

Featuring both emerging and established comedians, the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival runs Sept. 11-13 — Friday night through Sunday evening — at Erindale Park in the city’s west end. The comedy gets underway on the Friday at 5:30 p.m. followed by two shows on both the Saturday and Sunday.

In an application to the City of Mississauga for a special occasion permit, organizers indicated this week they’re anticipating some 12,500 people to attend each of the five shows over the course of the late-summer weekend.

Festival hours are 5:30-11 p.m. on Sept. 11 and noon-11 p.m. the following two days. The event is open to people aged 19-over and will take place rain or shine, organizers say.

“From emerging voices to major headliners, the festival brings an exciting mix of performers to one unforgettable outdoor stage,” officials with Visit Mississauga, the city’s tourism organization, said in an online description of the comedy festival, which is touching down in Canada’s seventh-largest city for the first time.

Festival lineup includes, from left, Jeff Arcuri, Brad Williams and Grace O’Malley. (Photo: Great Outdoors Comedy Festival)

The festival lineup includes Jeff Arcuri, Brad Williams, Grace O’Malley, John Mulaney, Nick Kroll, Mike Birbiglia, Fred Armisen, Adam Ray as Dr. Phil Live, Ms. Pat, T.J. Miller, Matt Mathews, Jordan Jensen, Katherine Blanford, Hasan Minhaj, Ronny Chieng and Michael Kosta, according to the Great Outdoors website.

Food trucks will also be on site at the three-day festival.

Tickets are available in various packages, including general admission and VIP tables. Visit the website (above) for more information.

Founded in 2021 and produced by Trixstar Entertainment, the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival delivers laughs to audiences at venues across Canada and the U.S. each year. It’s served as a showcase for some of the biggest names in comedy in North America, organizers note.

The event exists, they add on the festival’s website, “to prove that laughter belongs everywhere — on every stage, in every park, for every person. We champion comedy in all its forms while lifting up the communities and landscapes that make our festivals home.”

The first festival in 2021, held in Edmonton, featured headliners David Spade, Chelsea Handler and Nikki Glaser, among others. Since then, the event has grown to include stops in Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Winnipeg, Ottawa, London, Mississauga and Spokane, Washington.

Jerry Seinfeld, Martin Short, Kevin Hart and Amy Schumer are also among past festival headliners, organizers say.