An improv show that lasts for 50 hours!
Sleep? Where we’re going, we don’t need sleep.
The London 50-Hour Improvathon is set to return from 7pm on Friday 27th February to 9pm on Sunday 1st March 2026, transforming the Pleasance Theatre into the fictional town of Pleasanceville for an entire weekend of improvised comedy.
Now entering its 16th year, the London Improvathon is a improv show like you've never seen before - a cast of improvisers creating a fully improvised soap opera across 25 back-to-back episodes for 50 hours!
This year’s setting transports audiences back to 1980s America, to the fictional town of Pleasanceville. The organisers describe it as The Goonies meets Twin Peaks meets Stranger Things, in a totally tubular adventure!
Image Credit: London Improvathon
The cast features stars from Olivier Award-winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical and Tony Award-winning Mischief Theatre, alongside comedians, performers, up-and-coming improvisers and international guests. The show is also accompanied by an improvising live band.
Episodes run in two-hour blocks, day and night, and include a number of special episodes:
A Relaxed Episode on Saturday morning (11am), with adjusted lighting and sound, a chill-out space, and a welcoming attitude to audience movement and noise.
A Dungeons & Dragons episode (Sat 1pm), led by legendary improviser and DM Mark Meer, in which dice rolls shape the story.
A BSL-interpreted episode on Saturday afternoon (3pm).
A Family Episode on Sunday morning (11am), suitable for all ages, with discounted tickets for under-12s.
Audiences can drop in for a single episode, watch several across the weekend, or commit to the full 50 hours themselves.
The London Improvathon is often described as a “you had to be there” experience. Over the years it has built a reputation as one of the most ambitious and unique improv events in the UK - as performers battle through the sleep deprived 'gates of hell' to bring audiences big laughs, moving moments and truly epic storytelling.
The London Improvathon is taking place at the Pleasance Theatre from the 27th Feb - 1st Mar 2026. Full details: https://www.improvathon.co.uk/
