2024 Just for Laughs comedy festival cancelled, company seeks creditor protection

The Montreal company that operates the Just for Laughs comedy festival has cancelled the 2024 edition of the event after filing a notice of intention to make a proposal to creditors - a formal process under Canada's Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.

Seventy-five people were laid off Tuesday morning, ac‐ cording to a festival spokesperson, who called the company's financial situ‐ ation "unsustainable."

The company cited lost revenues during two years of the global pandemic and challenges facing the media industry, particularly reduced budgets at networks and streaming platforms, as rea‐ sons for restructuring.

In a news release sent Tuesday, Groupe Juste pour rire inc. (JPR), said it plans to "maintain JPR's operations, albeit in a scaled-down for‐ mat" as organizers restruc‐ ture the event.

On Tuesday, Julien Provencher-Proulx of JPR said Toronto's Just for Laughs fes‐ tival was expected to take place in September. But by

Wednesday, a news release announced that "the com‐ pany would like to clarify that the 2024 edition of the Just for Laughs Toronto festival will not take place."

"Once the restructuring of the organization is com‐ pleted, JPR hopes that the festival will take place in 2025," the statement added.

As for Montreal, the state‐ ment from JPR says "once the restructuring is completed, we hope that the festival will take place in 2025."

Some of the Montreal shows cancelled so far in‐ clude:

Messmer. Neev. Mélanie Couture. Waitress.

Ticket holders can get re‐ funds either through the venue where they purchased the tickets, or through their credit card company if the tickets were purchased di‐ rectly through Just for Laughs or on a ticket sales platform.

WATCH | Montreal come‐ dians talk about importance of JFL:

Sid Khullar, owner and president of the MTL Comedy Club, said the cancellation is "devastating" for Montreal's comedy community.

He said holding shows af‐ ter the JFL festival and show‐ cases brought a 10 to 20 per cent boost in business to his club.

"It was a big help for us, but it was a big help for everybody in Montreal as well," he said. "Without JFL in the mix, it might be a bit harder, but we'll give it a try."

Local, up-and-coming co‐ medians trying to make a name for themselves will bear the brunt of the festi‐ val's absence, says Montreal stand-up comic and JFL veter‐ an Mike Paterson.

"There's less people get‐ ting chances," he said. "It re‐ ally sucks for people who have to rely on this stuff."

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said she will be asking workers at the city of Mon‐ treal to contact JFL and ass‐ ess its plans for a "flagship event" of Montreal's cultural scene.

"We will miss the Just For Laughs Festival this sum‐ mer," Plante said on X, for‐ merly known as Twitter. "Comedy is an integral part of our culture and we will continue to support it."