What Stand Comedy Club does

Stand Comedy Club is a privately held UK live-entertainment operator that runs dedicated comedy clubs and talent showcase programming across three permanent venues in Edinburgh (headquarters, York Place), Glasgow (Great Western Road), and Newcastle (High Bridge), with seasonal Edinburgh Festival Fringe sites under sub-brands Stand 1 through Stand 4 plus partner venues at W Edinburgh and The Scotsman. The company was founded in 1998, self-identifies as 'Scotland's National Theatre of Comedy,' and is endorsed publicly by comedians including Kevin Bridges, Stewart Lee, Andy Zaltzman, and Jessica Fostekew. It employs 51–100 staff, is an accredited Living Wage employer, and publishes ticket prices in the £6–£40 range with concession, member, and VIP tiers.

The core offering is nightly live stand-up comedy, supported by a portfolio of curatorial sub-brands including Red Raw (newcomer showcase), W.I.P.lash (work-in-progress), Bona Fide (themed rotating lineup), Material Girl (monthly female-only stand-up), Bright Club Glasgow (academia-and-comedy variety), The Suggestibles (improv), and a pub quiz, plus a Mountebank comedy-whisky tasting experience. Ancillary revenue streams include a recurring membership program, gift vouchers, and venue-branded merchandise (hats, socks). Food service is delivered at selected shows via partner vendors (KHAO BOI in Edinburgh, Bryan Does Food in Newcastle).

The business model is primarily direct-to-consumer ticketing through the company's website (thestand.co.uk), supplemented by an Edinburgh-only physical box office and walk-up door sales at all venues, with charity partnerships (e.g., Govan Community Project) extending promotional reach. Underlying technology is a website and event-management system designed by Intune Data Solutions; the company has no disclosed mobile app, public APIs, or AI/ML capabilities. Distribution is domestic-only across Scotland and North East England, with a strong social media presence across separate per-venue Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts and an email newsletter for top-of-funnel demand capture.

Name

Stand Comedy Club

Legal name

The Stand Comedy Club

Website

https://thestand.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Stand Comedy Club is a privately held UK live-comedy operator running three permanent venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newcastle, offering nightly stand-up, improv, and themed shows to adult comedy audiences via direct ticket sales, memberships, and gift vouchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Comedy Entertainment

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Comedy Club & Showcase Nights (MPAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comedy Clubs (Nightlife Venues) (MPAGAIAH), Comedy Festivals (MPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Live comedy venues
• Stand-up entertainment
• Comedy club membership
• Edinburgh Fringe shows
• Venue merchandise sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from ticket sales for live comedy shows with a booking fee of £1 per ticket, capped at £6 per transaction
2. Memberships: Recurring membership program offering discounted tickets and perks to members
3. Gift Vouchers: Gift voucher sales for show tickets
4. Merchandise: Venue merchandise including hats and socks sold at all venues

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Stand Comedy Club operates three dedicated live comedy venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newcastle, hosting live stand-up shows seven nights a week featuring touring, headline, and emerging comedians. The company also runs membership programs, sells gift vouchers, and offers branded venue merchandise, with ticket booking primarily through its website and an Edinburgh box office.

Product overview

The Stand Comedy Club operates as a multi-venue live comedy entertainment platform with three primary venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newcastle. The core offering is live stand-up comedy shows featuring touring comedians and local acts, available 7 nights a week. The portfolio includes regular shows (The Friday Show, The Saturday Show, The Sunday Night Laugh-In), newcomer showcases (Red Raw, W.I.P.lash), improv performances, themed comedy nights (Bona Fide, Material Girl, Bright Club), and special events (whisky tastings, pub quizzes). The company also offers membership programs and gift vouchers as supplementary revenue streams, with merchandise available at all venues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Red Raw: Comedy show format featuring newer acts
• Bona Fide
• Material, Girl
• Bright Club Glasgow

Products and services

• Live Comedy Shows Live stand-up comedy performances featuring touring, headline, and local comedians across three permanent venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newcastle, operating seven nights a week. Tickets range from £6 to £40 per show.
• Memberships Subscription-based membership program providing recurring customers with discounted tickets (e.g., £8 vs £10 for standard shows) and additional perks across all venues.
• Gift Vouchers Pre-paid gift certificates redeemable for live comedy show tickets, intended for gifting occasions.
• Venue Merchandise Branded venue merchandise including hats and socks, available for purchase at all three comedy club locations.
• Edinburgh Festival Fringe Venues (Stand 1, Stand 2, Stand 3 & 4) Additional comedy venues operated by The Stand exclusively during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe season, including Stand 1, Stand 2 (16 North St. Andrew Street), Stand 3 & 4 (28 York Place), The Stand at W Edinburgh, and The Stand at The Scotsman, hosting Fringe performers and shows.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Govan Community ProjectminorOthers · 14 September 2026Charity partnership for fundraising events. GCP celebrates 25 years supporting people seeking asylum and refugees in Glasgow. All ticket proceeds (minus £1 booking fee per ticket, capped at £6) go to the charity (SC042012).
• KHAO BOIminorOthersThai and Southeast Asian inspired street-food provider for Edinburgh venue. Available at selected shows and for delivery. Food display shown on web listings when available.
• Bryan Does FoodminorOthersFood provider for Newcastle venue at selected shows from door time until 30 minutes before the show.
• Living Wage FoundationcoreOthersAccreditation partnership demonstrating commitment to paying all employees the real Living Wage rate, not the lower government National Living Wage.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Comedy Store: UK's most iconic comedy club chain with venues in London and Manchester, offering nightly stand-up programming. Direct competitor to The Stand in the dedicated comedy club category with a similar multi-venue, multi-night format.
• Hot Water Comedy Club: Independent comedy club operator with a flagship venue in Liverpool and additional rooms, focused on nightly paid-entry stand-up. Comparable as a multi-venue live comedy operator with a strong regional brand.
• Soho Theatre: London-based venue running year-round stand-up, improv, and new-writing comedy programmes. Comparable in its dedicated comedy programming model and use of its own venue.
• Frog and Bucket: Long-running Manchester comedy club with a Saturday night new-act showcase (similar to The Stand's Red Raw format). Direct UK regional comedy club peer.
• The Glee Club: Multi-city UK comedy club chain (Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Oxford, Reading) running nightly stand-up shows. Direct competitor in the multi-venue comedy club category, especially overlapping in Glasgow.
• Komedia: Multi-venue operator (Brighton, Bath, Milton Keynes, Norwich) running comedy alongside other live programming. Comparable in running multi-city comedy venues with regular touring and emerging talent programming.

Regional players

• The Pleasance: Edinburgh-based Fringe venue operator and London theatre producer, a direct competitor during Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Comparable as a multi-room festival venue operator sharing the same Fringe audience.
• Assembly Festival: One of the largest Edinburgh Fringe venue operators, running multiple comedy and performance spaces. Comparable in scale of multi-room Fringe venue operations during August.
• Just the Tonic: Edinburgh and London-based comedy venue operator, with primary focus on the Fringe. Comparable as a multi-room Fringe comedy venue competitor.
• Gilded Balloon: Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue operator running a large multi-room comedy programme each August. Comparable as a Fringe-specific comedy venue competitor in the same market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StandComedyClub
• Facebookfacebook.com/StandEdinburgh
• Instagraminstagram.com/standcomedyclub/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

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 Stand Comedy Club