The president of a Quebec-based entertainment group says he's "reviving" the Montreal Just For Laughs festival with a scaled-down 2024 event that includes shows by Dane Cook, Bassem Youssef and Bobby Slayton.
"It was important for us to make a statement to the fans, to the different partners and to the comedy industry that we are there, we are still there, and we’re going to be there," he said in a phone interview. The 2024 festival runs from July 18 to 28 and will feature a free outdoor performance by Cook, about 15 shows at various venues, and a closing show that has yet to be announced. It will be run alongside the company's French festival, called "ComediHa! salue Montréal."
However, he promised that attendees won't be disappointed by the quality of the lineup. He expects Cook's outdoor performance at Place des Festivals to draw thousands of fans, and said it's the first time Youssef — described in the press release as "the Egyptian-born heart surgeon-turned-host of the Arab world's biggest political satire show" — has come to the city.
A court filing from insolvency trustee PwC said Groupe Juste pour rire booked a net loss of more than $7.9 million in the first 10 months of 2023. Court documents released in March showed the company owed nearly $22.5 million to creditors, while more documents released later showed an additional $5 million owed by the festival and other affiliated businesses.