The third edition of the Reislas Comedy Festival will take place across all eight islands for the first time since its launch in 2023 by the Canary Island production company Estudios Multitrack and the four mainland producers Etiqueta Negra Producciones, ¿Cómo Está Wally?, Producciones & Management, and Ninona Producciones. In a short time, the festival has positioned itself as the third most important and highest-selling comedy festival in Spain, following ‘Murcia Sonríe’ in Murcia (32,000 tickets sold) and ‘FesJajá’, held in Mallorca, both with over ten editions.
A total of eighteen well-known comedians from the contemporary Spanish comedy scene, including four from the Canaries, will join this third edition of ‘Reislas’, a festival enjoyed by over thirteen thousand spectators from the six islands where it was held last year. The line-up this year includes madrileño David Cepo, Galician Luis Piedrahita, Andalusians Dani Rovira, Maru Candel, Patricia Galván, David Navarro, Javi Aguilera, Carlos Mení (Aguilera and Mení), Armenian-Lebanese Hovik Keuchkerian, and the quartet Corta el Cable Rojo, along with four of the most popular comedians in the Canaries: Omayra Cazorla, Abián Díaz, Jorge Ávila, and Saúl Romero. This year’s festival will feature a total of 37 performances across fifteen different venues on the eight islands.
Festival Overview
The festival, which has the support of the Government of the Canary Islands through the Instituto Canario de Desarrollo Cultural (ICDC), along with the Cabildos of the islands and all the municipalities where it takes place, offers a diverse and entertaining mix designed to captivate all types of audiences. It showcases a variety of formats and styles currently popular in the Spanish comedy scene, ranging from traditional stand-up monologues to original duo performances, improvisational comedy, and shows that connect directly with the audience.
Reislas was presented this morning on the stage of Teatro Guiniguada in Las Palmas by Horacio Umpiérrez, Vice-Councillor of Culture and Cultural Heritage of the Canary Government, Abilio Gilar from Ninona Producciones, and the three Canary comedians, Omayra Cazorla, Jorge Ávila, and Saúl Romero. Abián Díaz was unable to attend.
Tickets and Popularity
Out of the 37 scheduled performances, tickets have completely sold out for 14, with many others nearing a ‘sold out’ status. This demonstrates the high level of acceptance and following the festival has garnered, where humour acts as a stimulating catalyst for each scheduled show. It reflects the significant rise in comedy over the last decade in Spain, largely driven by social media and online platforms as promotional tools. With almost a month to go before the festival concludes in Lanzarote following its commencement in La Gomera with a free performance by David Cepo, the overall occupancy rate across various venues has exceeded 70%, with expectations of over 17,000 tickets sold.
Abilio Gilar from Ninona Producciones indicated that “after achieving the milestone of being held on all the islands in this third edition, the festival’s future lies in maintaining its quality and variety. We wish to grow while upholding the quality of the offerings,” he said.
Cultural Contributions
Horacio Umpiérrez revealed that “for years, cultural space programmers in the Canaries have been incorporating humour from both local and national artists into their offerings, making up about 12% of their regular programming.” He positively noted that the Reislas Festival and others held in the islands benefit from tax incentives implemented by the Government of the Canary Islands, which represent almost 43% in the performing arts sector, “yielding remarkable results that ensure the offerings reach the entire Canary Community.”
The quartet of Canary comedians features some of the best artists of the moment at this year’s Festival Reislas: Gran Canarian Omayra Cazorla with her show ‘Así somos’, Majorero Jorge Ávila with ‘Esto no estaba pensado’, Saúl Romero’s ‘Modas pasajeras’, and Tenerife’s actor and comedian Abián Díaz with his ‘Show Patético’.
Locations and Performances
This edition of the festival introduces La Gomera and El Hierro as participating islands. In Gran Canaria, performances will occur at Teatro Víctor Jara in Vecindario, Teatro Hespérides in Guía, Centro Cultural Guaires in Gáldar, Teatro Guiniguada in the capital, and Auditorio Alfredo Kraus. In Lanzarote, shows will take place at Teatro Municipal de San Bartolomé and Teatro Cine Atlántida. In Tenerife, venues include Teatro Leal in La Laguna, the University Paraninfo, and Auditorio Infanta Leonor in Arona. Fuerteventura will host performances at the Palacio de Formación y Congresos. In La Palma, they will take place at Teatro Circo de Marte in the capital. On the small island of La Graciosa, performances will occur in Caleta del Sebo, while La Gomera and El Hierro will host their first contribution to ‘Reislas’ at the Auditorio Insular de San Sebastián and Centro Cultural Asabanos in Valverde, respectively.
The Reislas Comedy Festival aims to continue showcasing the best Spanish comedians in its upcoming editions. In its previous two editions, notable additions included Eva Hache, Ana Morgade, Carolina Iglesias, Comandante Lara, the duo Pantomima Full, Martita de Graná, Mikel Bermejo, Asaari Bibang, Álvaro Casares, Ismael Lemais, Isita Díaz, Manuel Lago, Ángel Martín, ‘La ruina’ with Ignasi Taltavull and Tomás Fuentes, Lalachus, Bertus, and Ger. However, a key commitment from its promoters is to continue featuring the best local Canary comedians each year. To date, the festival has hosted performers such as Pilar Batista, Jorge Bolaños, Kike Pérez, Omayra Cazorla, Jorge Ávila, Saúl Romero, and Abián Díaz, with the two Canary comedians Kike Pérez and Omayra Cazorla regularly returning to recent editions.
The third edition commenced on 2nd September with a free performance by David Cepo at Auditorio Insular de La Gomera, one of the two free shows scheduled (the other took place on 9th September in La Graciosa).
Featured Artists and Shows
Madrileño David Cepo returns for the third consecutive time to the ‘Reislas’ Festival with his show ‘No cruces los brazos’, which continues to sell out wherever he performs. Andalusian actor, comedian, host, and philanthropist Dani Rovira presents his latest show ‘Vale la pena’, which addresses themes such as sadness, mourning, and sorrow, attempting to dignify these emotions and highlighting their significance in our lives.
First-time performer Maru Candel is one of the leading female monologists in Spain and has acted in several short films and plays like ‘Hombres’ by Sergi Berbel and ‘La extraña pareja’ by Neil Simon. She is also part of the ‘Corto y Cambio’ series on Comedy Central. Armenian-Lebanese comedian Hovik Keuchkerian delivers an impactful performance, inviting audiences to examine themselves without limits imposed by those in power, employing a blend of raw and profound discourse.
Andalusian actress and monologist Patricia Galván is well-known for her improvisations and arrives in the Canaries with her authentic comedy monologue ‘Hardcore’, which defies political correctness and ensures non-stop laughter (humour-constrained individuals need not apply). The trio Corta el Cable Rojo present an improvisational comedy show where Carlos Ramos, Salomón, and José Andrés will leave audiences in stitches through various hilarious and challenging performances, supported by live music and spectacular audio-visual backdrops.
Galician Luis Piedrahita’s new show ‘Apocalípticamente correcto’ satirises horoscopes as proof that our destinies are written in the stars while questioning the trend of motorhomes as indicators of our routes. This show is vital for understanding the origins of our fears and hopes. Andalusian comedian David Navarro, part of ‘Las Noches del Club de la Comedia’, is the warm-up for Movistar+’s ‘Ilustres Ignorantes’ and a regular on ‘A vivir que son dos días’ on Cadena SER. He presents ‘No tengo remedio’, sharing his most candid confessions about his follies and frustrations, feeling more authentic and irritated than ever. The duo of Cádiz-based comedians Carlos Mení and Javier Aguilera showcase ‘Misión Impro-Sible’, a frantic mix of deliriously funny situations and audience interaction.
Tickets for some performances at Reislas have already sold out. Tickets for the various theatres and auditoriums are now available for purchase at https://reislas.com/programacion/
