The Glee Club

What The Glee Club does

The Glee Club is a privately held UK operator of a multi-venue live entertainment chain, running comedy, music, cabaret, burlesque, spoken word, and family shows across six cities: Birmingham (headquarters), Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham, and Oxford. Core programming consists of regular Friday, Saturday, and themed Thursday comedy nights featuring mixed bills of four stand-up comedians, supplemented by touring comedians' solo shows, live music gigs, cabaret performances including The Gilded Merkin, and Seed Talks spoken word events. Family-friendly daytime comedy and seasonal Christmas specials with bundled festive menus round out the calendar.

The business sells tickets directly to consumers through its proprietary MyGlee online booking platform, a phone box office, and on-the-door sales, with no third-party ticketing agents. Revenue is generated from one-time ticket sales (£7.50–£40+, plus £2–£2.75 booking fees), bundled food and bar packages, private venue hire for corporate events and celebrations, and gift cards. The Glee Club targets individual adults seeking weekend entertainment, group bookings for birthdays, stag/hen parties, and work socials, families via child-friendly shows, and students through concession pricing. Marketing runs through the glee.co.uk website, email mailing lists, performer cross-promotion, and a streaming partnership with NextUp.

The company operates with no disclosed parent, institutional investor, or funding rounds, and there is no public information on revenue, headcount, or financial performance. Awards recognition includes Best Comedy Night in the Midlands for four consecutive years (What's On) and Best Themed Comedy Night 2020 (Chortle), supporting its positioning as a leading UK regional comedy venue chain outside London.

Name

The Glee Club

Legal name

The Glee Club

Website

https://glee.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Glee Club is a privately held UK chain of live entertainment venues in six cities, programming stand-up comedy, music, cabaret, and spoken word shows, and selling tickets directly to consumers alongside bundled food, drink, and venue hire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Venues

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Comedy Clubs (Nightlife Venues) (MPAGAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stand-Up Comedy Shows (MPAGACAA), Comedy Club & Showcase Nights (MPAGACAE), Comedy Shows & Spoken-Word Events (THAJAFAC)

Keywords

• Live comedy venues
• Stand-up comedy
• Live entertainment
• Comedy tours
• Cabaret burlesque

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling tickets to live comedy, music, cabaret, and spoken word events. Prices range from £7.50 for new material nights to £40+ for headline touring acts. Booking fees of £2-2.75 per ticket apply.
2. Food & Beverage Packages: Bundled meal packages with show tickets including options like Fish & Chips, Chicken Katsu Curry, Sri Lankan Vegetable Curry, and full restaurant courses. Also operates full bar service.
3. Venue Hire: Private venue hire for corporate events, parties, and special occasions mentioned across Birmingham and Cardiff locations.
4. Gift Cards: Gift card sales for show tickets, providing pre-paid credit to the venue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Glee Club operates a multi-venue live entertainment chain hosting regular weekend stand-up comedy shows (Friday Night Comedy, Saturday Night Comedy, Thursday Night Comedy Carousel), touring comedian solo shows, live music gigs, cabaret and burlesque performances, spoken word and talks events, and family-friendly daytime comedy. Revenue is generated primarily through show ticket sales, bundled food and beverage packages, venue hire for private events, and gift cards across six UK venues.

Product overview

The Glee Club is a multi-venue live entertainment chain operating across six UK cities (Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham, and Oxford). The core offering consists of regular stand-up comedy shows including Friday Night Comedy, Saturday Night Comedy, and Thursday Night Comedy Carousel, supplemented by solo comedy tour shows from visiting performers. The portfolio also includes live music events, drag/cabaret/burlesque entertainment (such as The Gilded Merkin), spoken word events and talks (including Seed Talks series), and family-friendly comedy shows. Seasonal offerings include Christmas Comedy Specials with festive menus. Supporting services include gift cards, venue hire for private events, on-site food and bar service, and live streaming of select shows via NextUp. Tickets are managed through the MyGlee online booking platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Friday Night Comedy Weekly mixed-bill stand-up comedy show on Friday nights featuring four comedians, with food package add-ons available for adult entertainment seekers.
• Saturday Night Comedy Weekly mixed-bill stand-up comedy show on Saturday nights featuring four comedians, positioned as the chain's award-winning flagship weekend comedy offering.
• Thursday Night Comedy Carousel Fast-paced themed stand-up comedy night on Thursdays featuring top comedians alongside a big screen of web content, recognised by industry awards as the chain's signature themed night.
• Comedy Tour Shows Solo stand-up shows by touring comedians performing their own material on multi-city tours across the Glee Club venue chain.
• Live Music Events Live music gigs featuring various artists including rock, tribute acts, and solo performers, held across the Glee Club venues.
• Drag, Cabaret & Burlesque Shows Drag, cabaret and burlesque performances including The Gilded Merkin showcase featuring international performers, programmed across Birmingham and Cardiff venues.
• Spoken Word / Talks Spoken word and intellectual talks including the Seed Talks series covering topics such as Greek mythology, neuroscience and history.
• Family Comedy Shows Lunchtime comedy shows suitable for families with children aged 5+, with separate adult and child/concession pricing and family-of-4 packages.
• Christmas Comedy Specials Seasonal festive comedy shows featuring four stand-up comedians with multi-course holiday menus and bundled show-and-dine pricing tiers.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards redeemable for show tickets and food at any Glee Club venue, sold via the dedicated giftcards.glee.co.uk portal.
• Venue Hire Private venue hire service for corporate events, parties, birthdays, stag/hen parties, and work socials, available across Birmingham and Cardiff locations.
• Food & Bar Service On-site licensed food and bar service offering fish & chips, chicken katsu curry, Sri Lankan vegetable curry, multi-course meals, full bar service, and bar snacks, often bundled with show tickets.
• Live Streams Live streaming of select Glee Club performances via the third-party NextUp platform, extending reach beyond the physical venue capacity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Voted Best Comedy Night in the Midlands four consecutive years by What's On magazine
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NextUpminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThird-party streaming partnership where select Glee Club shows are broadcast live on the NextUp platform. Performers are filmed during live shows with audience consent. This extends the reach of performances beyond physical venue capacity.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Chuckle Club Cardiff: Cardiff-based live comedy club running weekend comedy shows. Regional competitor in one of The Glee Club's primary markets, Wales.

Direct peers

• Hot Water Comedy Club: Liverpool-based comedy club chain with multiple venues, regular weekend comedy programming, and headline acts. Comparable model offering live stand-up with food and bar service.
• Comedy Store UK: Iconic UK comedy club chain operating venues in London and Manchester, hosting mixed-bill weekends and headline acts. Direct competitor in the UK live comedy venue market with comparable programming and audience.
• The Stand Comedy Club: Edinburgh and Glasgow-based comedy club chain hosting regular weekend comedy shows, touring acts, and food/beverage service. Closely comparable multi-venue UK comedy venue operator.
• Banana Cabaret: London-based comedy venue hosting weekend comedy shows, touring performers, and mixed-bill nights in a club-style format. Direct competitor in the UK live comedy venue segment.
• Funny Side Comedy: UK comedy club promoting live shows at multiple venues, including mixed-bill and headline touring acts. Comparable offering in live stand-up comedy entertainment.
• Komedia: UK multi-venue comedy and entertainment operator with locations in Brighton, Bath, and other regional cities, hosting comedy, music, cabaret, and family shows with food and bar service. Closely comparable model.

Broad incumbents

• Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG): Major UK live entertainment venue operator with nationwide portfolio of theatres and ticketed live events. Broader incumbent in live entertainment with overlapping programming including comedy, music, and family shows.
• Live Nation UK: Global live entertainment promoter and venue operator with significant UK presence. Broader incumbent running comedy tours, music events, and ticketed live performance venues.

Emerging players

• NextUp: UK live comedy streaming platform that broadcasts stand-up shows including The Glee Club's own productions. Represents adjacency in digital comedy distribution and a partial overlap with The Glee Club's streaming extension.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gleeclubbham
• Facebookfacebook.com/gleebirmingham
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-glee-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Glee Club